Swift Chronicles: Shadow Apprentice
by Toonwalla
Summary: Six months after the New Year a new threat emerges calling himself the Apprentice and he has one purpose in mind. To capture Swift and fulfil an ancient prophecy. Who is he? Why is he so interested in the Girl Wonder? New bonds shall be forged, old friendships will be tested and the darkest secrets of all will be uncovered…but will Swift be ready to face them? (Robin/OC)
1. Prologue - Episode 0

**_Disclaimer for entire fic: I do not own YJ or any characters created by DC or WB for it. I only own the OC's and main plotline in this fic._**

_**Full Summary**:_

_Swift's (Christine's) life is picture-perfect. She has a great family, great friends and an amazing boyfriend/partner. Everything is just as it should be…But her journey is not over yet. Six months after the New Year a new threat emerges calling himself the Apprentice and he has one purpose in mind. To capture Swift and fulfil an ancient prophecy. Who is he? Why is he so interested in the Girl Wonder? What have three rivalling secret criminal organisations have to do with anything? And what is this mysterious prophecy? New bonds shall be forged, old friendships will be tested and the darkest secrets of all will be uncovered…but will Swift be ready to face them?_

* * *

><p><em><strong><span>Episode 0: A Prologue in Purple<span>**_

**London (England), May 202011, 05:09 GMT**

The man in the room stared down at the deep red blood that was splattered on his black Kevlar stealth suit. Damn! He hadn't expected the target to resist so heavily especially since he was supposed to be a very old man already…

He inspected the multiple stab wounds in his targets appendix.

The only real comforts in this whole debacle would be that he was able to at least keep the old geezer quiet throughout the whole ordeal and that a brutal killing like this was not unheard of especially since the target himself had many enemies that would have so loved to finish the job themselves.

Even so, it was a messy affair and his employer would not be pleased.

Unless…

_Good thing I have a contingency up my sleeve _

The man pulled out a small box that had been strapped to the back of his black utility belt, which glinted purple under the light of the fallen desk lamp on the floor. He clicked it and at once small markings across its surface began to glow blue and buzz. He waited calmly for a few moments, keeping his thumb pressed over the button before releasing it. The glowing markings on the box faded and the buzzing in his ears stopped. Thank goodness they were starting to really annoy the hell out of him.

He walked over to the corpse that was laying over the large rug in the middle of the floor, oozing blood everywhere over the beautiful Persian print. He carefully lifted his foot and pressed it into a particularly large puddle of blood before something caught his eye.

There within in the hand of the old man illuminated by the moonlight was a printed photograph.

He leant down to the corpses hand and gently pulled the picture away.

It was of a girl, probably somewhere between nine or ten years old sitting sweetly for a portrait shot alongside the old man that was currently lying dead on the floor, and another man, who was dressed in a sharply tailored light grey suit with a black tie and black suspenders beneath the jacket. But apart from that he could not make out anything, for right where the person's face was supposed to be, a large hole had been burnt through instead.

The girl however he could see quite plainly. Her portion of the photograph was actually quite smooth and unblemished.

She was dressed in a in a very formal deep royal purple dress and her dark brown hair was neatly styled so that it hung in soft layers about her shoulders. Despite her youth her skin was remarkably pale and translucent with only a hint of pink where her lips were and soft gentle blush over her cheeks.

But it was her eyes that drew him in the most. They were round, with prominent lids, thick and long dark lashes and almond shaped with a slight slant upwards that highlighted the most astonishing shade of purple he had ever seen.

He held his hand up to a small metal disk lodged in his ear and murmured.

"What is it? Yes. Yes Ishan, I have finished. Yes I'm just leaving. Hold on! Hold on! Did you just say what I thought you-No I'm not objecting to my orders, I'm just confirming them! Wait so the operation's really going on ahead? *sigh* Yes. Yes I'll be back at HQ ASAP. No…No you will not proceed without me there! Do not even move a muscle, you hear me! Besides, Operation S.I.R.E.N is a Queen-Level mission and cannot be operated without at least a Bishop-Level operative supervising, and quite frankly I don't care if you are the mistress's favourite BOY! I will personally skewer you from up the ass if you don't adhere with the protocol! Aquila out."

He sighed in exasperation just as the com link shut off in his ear.

He looked back down at the photograph and the girl's eyes captured him once more in their piercing stare.

He tilted his head and felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards softly. She was a pretty thing and would and no doubt only grow more beautiful with the passing years. He turned the photograph over and saw a date on the back.

13/03/2005

Yes, she'd most definitely be older now. Still young but also old enough to no longer be considered a child. The age where her innocence would most likely diminish. He didn't know why, but the thought of that saddened him.

He shook his head. What was he thinking? It was almost six o clock. Almost time for the help of this insanely large household to wake up!

He pocketed the photograph before carefully making sure to walk over to the open window and leave a trail of footprints behind as he opened the sill with the tips of his fingers.

"Nice meeting ya old man!" he muttered before jumping out the window more silently than a ghost, missing the the corpse's eyes were revealed in the light of the moon frozen in terror…a glint of purple.

* * *

><p>HEY EVERYONE I'M BACK! with a vengeance!<p>

lol just kidding. but seriously its great to be back to this saga (even though its only been a couple of weeks break).

So here it is Swift Chronicles: Shadow Apprentice!

This is just a little taster of what's to come but I hope you like it. It's gonna be tough not being able to work with the actual YJ episodes because they help add structure, and without them I have to think everything through for myself (yes I'm very lazy :P writer)

keep r&ring. I've NOT got writers block but I'm still open to suggestions, inspiration and ideas from you guys.

Hope you enjoy this series :)


	2. Episode 1

**Episode 1: Abature**

**Mount Justice, May 24 2011, 06:07 EDT**

A tall young man with dark brown skin, high cheekbones and short pale blonde hair and wearing dark blue swimming trunks strode calmly through the halls, down a path he knew very well, humming softly as he did in the comfort of his solitude.

It wasn't like he didn't like the warmth or the hustle and bustle of his friends' noisy antics, but young Kaldur'ahm of Atlantis always did enjoy starting his day with a nice swim in the pool of the grotto.

He didn't like the swimming pool upstairs. It just didn't feel natural to swim in a box of chlorinated liquid. He liked the sea water better; it just felt more natural to him…more like home.

So he was very surprised to see a girl with long dark brown hair and pale skin already sitting by the edge of the watery pool. His light green eyes softened as he saw her curled over one pulled up knee, her other leg dangling so that her ankle was dipped into the water.

"Christine…is everything alright?"

She quickly turned round to look back at him and Kaldur saw that she was wiping at her cheeks beneath her eyes.

"Oh hey Kal" she smiled up at him as he came to sit beside her.

"You don't always have to put on a strong face for all of us you know?" he put a large webbed hand on her shoulder gently.

Her smile faltered and she nodded slightly in response. "I know…it's just…I don't want you guys…"

"To worry?" he nodded in understanding. "Unfortunately for you, or probably fortunately, we are your friends Christine. We will always worry about you when you're facing tough times such as these"

Christine turned to look down at both their reflections in the mostly still water.

"My grandmother called me last night" she muttered resting her head against her raised knee again. "She's going to be holding Grandfather's funeral in three weeks,"

"And where is he going to be buried?" Kaldur asked softly

"Back at the Northern Isle of Brumaland…probably on the castle grounds… close to where my… papa was put to rest…" she trailed off staring hard at the gentle ripples around her submerged foot.

Kaldur rubbed her shoulder soothingly as she bit down hard on her lip and her eyes watered. "What is it like…the Isle?"

"It's well mostly cold…like the name I guess…It's roughly about a third of the size of Wales but it's close to Scotland off the coast of Northumberland in England so it snows a lot in the late autumn, winter and early spring." Christine sniffed the corners of her mouth twitching upwards slightly despite herself "Y'know it's kind of ironic…The isle is well known for being a winter wonderland during new year's but in the spring and summer…it's just amazing…the hills and fields are all green, the forests are teeming with life, and there are so many flowers that bloom with so many vibrant colours ... it just looks like something out of a fairy tale."

"So you visited there a lot?" Kaldur smiled as he saw that with every sentence the sad look on her face was gradually being replaced by fond wistfulness, much like whenever he himself talked of his underwater hometown, Shayeris.

"Sorta…I mean if you could call it visiting…more like half lived there actually" Christine fiddled with her hands on her knees. "Had it not been for my papa's job I would've probably lived permanently in Gotham. I usually had four months off from the year that I wouldn't really travel during but they were almost always spent with Grandma and Grandpa and Dad, I mean Bruce-Dad not… papa… It wasn't until…four to five years ago that I had to actually attend school properly. I was home schooled during my elementary school years because Papa still had to travel for his work…"

"And what kind of work did he do?"

"He said he was studying and learning and helping discover different branches of ancient linguistics…" Christine's eyes hardened a little "But now…I'm not so sure…"

"What do you mean?" Kaldur's eyebrows rose high.

"I don't know…it's just that…given all that happened last year…the fact that Kent Nelson used to know him and stuff, and the journal he left for me…I can't help but feel as if he was not all that he seemed to be."

"How far have you gone with the journal?" Kaldur kept his voice light but he could not stop the creeping suspicion nagging the back of his brain. He'd seen her carry the leather bound book around with her everywhere over the past few months but every time he'd seen her flick through the pages she looked rather aggravated.

"…not far at all…" she murmured "…I … the text…It's weird… don't even know what language it's written in and neither the League's and Batcave's databases have anything on any of the symbols."

"Symbols?"

"Yeah here take a look" she reached down beside her and pulled up the brown leather book with the wood nymph coming out of the tree embedded into the front. "I've been through it like a zillion times"

Kaldur took it and opened it. Most of the first third of the book was filled with black ink, inscribed in runes he himself could not recognise. Much of it was written in a fluid script swirling over the page in a smooth black inked hand with small hexagonal star like characters dotting across the lines at particular intervals like letters though their shapes were peculiar and unlike any symbols the Atlantian had ever seen before

"It is beautiful" he had to admit quietly "But I can see why you're frustrated. These characters are rather peculiar"

Christine snorted but then sighed "peculiar doesn't even begin to cover it. I've tried searching every database around the globe to see if even one piece of text is legible. But nope, nada, zilch! Nothing, not even dad's computer could find anything useful, and that old gal has pulled through in some _really_ tough times I can tell you."

She gently took the book from him and stood up, just as Kaldur slipped into the water dunking himself for a moment to wet his head before resurfacing. He sighed with relief as his dry skin immediately began absorbing water, cooling and refreshing him.

"Would you care to join me? I'm told swimming can be soothing for people under stress"

Christine smiled warmly with gratitude, the depths of her purple eyes shining for a moment before being masked quickly as she shook her head.

"Sorry Kal… It was nice to be able to just sit and talk about this but I've gotta jet if I want to make the camp bus. Thanks anyway." She yawned widely checking her watch as she waved goodbye to him.

"No problem" Kaldur nodded. He kept his eyes on her as she walked up the stairs and exited the grotto.

From the way she had talked she seemed to be almost back to normal but Kaldur could see even from this distance that the usual spring in the younger girl's step was not as prominent as it used to be.

His gaze softened with sadness. It pained him to see his friend lose that light of life from her. Her shoulders sagged almost constantly and when off duty she was slower in her movements, and softer spoken, almost as quiet as a mute as if always too tired to speak. But this, he noticed, was not the lethargy of laziness. It was in fact the lassitude that came with nights spent in restless, sleepless and tearful grieving, if her now constantly red puffy eyes were anything to go by. Not that she'd ever openly admit that to anyone else.

And therein lay the problem.

He knew Christine was very private about her family life, especially of her relatives outside of the Wayne residency (in fact he never knew she even had grandparents till Dick had told the team of the tragic news four days ago), but even so… wasn't the team her family too?

She'd vanished into the depths of the corridor and Kaldur sighed heavily, looking down at his reflection.

He'd have to talk to Batman and Black Canary about this later.

He turned back to his swim, not noticing the dark shadow slip up the stairs after his friend and into the shadows

* * *

><p>"the Blackbird is moving back towards common room,"<p>

"_Roger that. But be careful the other kids are gonna wake up soon. And trust me you don't want them on your trail_"

_"_Yeah that would be disastrous. But don't worry I have a contingency for them, though hopefully it won't ever come to that. Standby for further updates"

* * *

><p>Christine walked into the common room stifling a yawn with her hand. It was rather early and she would be kidding herself if she said she didn't want to just go back to bed and sleep till the Armageddon. But she couldn't…not now…<p>

Not when those horrible images of blood and dead staring eyes filled her dreams.

She felt her legs buckle beneath her and stumbled into the small island in the middle of the kitchen. She clutched at it tightly using it to hold her steady as she lowered herself down onto a stool to sit.

_Child, you must rest as soon as you can._

The mellow female voice cooed in a soothing echo in the depths of her head.

_You try resting when all you can dream about is seeing all **that** blood _

Christine snapped back, rubbing at her temples as they began to pulse with a dull ache. It wasn't unusual for her to get a headache whenever Zephyra, the lady of order, decided to have a little rare chat with her.

_I know you are grieving but you haven't slept for days. I shudder to think of what will happen to you when you go out into the field._

The lady of order telepathically sighed.

"Pff! What are you my mother?" Christine snapped out loud just as someone ran helter skelter into the room. She looked up. It was Dick, still in his T-shirt and track pants, his face pale with worry and his black hair a complete birds nest.

He quickly ran up to her and grabbed her into a tight hug.

"Jesus! You had me worried" he kissed the top of her head before pulling back to look at her, half relieved half irritated. "You ok?"

"Yeah" Christine mumbled linking her arms around his neck and reaching up with her head to snuggle it into his shoulder. "Just went to the grotto for a bit, to dip my feet in. Kaldur's just gone in for his morning swim so we talked a bit. And then my dear lady of order guardian decided to pop in for a visit into my brain so yeah I'm feeling _great_"

_I was just trying to help_

Said guardian huffed in her head but she ignored it.

Dick smirked with fond amusement.

"What?" Christine pouted, sleepily

"You've got the mole face again" he grinned widely but then sighed as he cupped the side of her face in one hand. "You should go back to bed. I'll call Madame Fletcher and tell her you can't make it for the camp" he murmured tracing a thumb over the bags under her eyes.

"No Dick. I wish I could sleep… I really, really do but… but" Christine felt her eyes burn and she mentally cursed herself. God Dick's arms were warm; she could fall asleep in them then and there if she really wanted.

"But…" Dick prompted gently and she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

"Every time I shut my eyes I see him…there on the floor…like I'm really there…but I can't…I can't… I can't save him…"Dick felt her legs buckle beneath her and quickly set her on one of the bar stools around the kitchen's marble islands but she took no heed as she continued to sob "I can save everyone else in the world but my own family…my flesh and blood…what's the point of being a hero if I can't even protect _them_?"

"shhh…" Dick stroked her hair away from her face gently "Christine it's ok-"

"No it's not and it won't ever be okay-"

"Yes it will be" he cupped her cheeks in his hands and pressed a kiss to her forehead and looking deep into her overflowing purple eyes.

"It will be ok…I promise…."

He rested his forehead against hers as she tried to master her sobs. It took her a while but eventually she began to soften down to smaller snivels. Finally she gave a loud moan of irritation.

"Oh god look at me! I'm crying like a baby!" Christine scrubbed at her eyes feeling the usual annoyance that came with her version of sleep deprivation that had finally begun to creep up on her.

"Crying yes, baby no…at least not that kind of baby, _baby_" Dick winked roguishly.

"Agh! You and you're puns" she whined loudly as he cackled softly still holding her close.

"You love both and you know it" the boy wonder murmured slipping on his best grin.

"That I do" the girl wonder replied smiling hoarsely at her partner, her face mirroring the love and affection in his own.

There was a small beeping sound as Dick's holo watch went off with his personal alarm for six thirty.

"…Hey…" he whispered smiling softly. "Why don't we go back to the manor…eat breakfast with just me, Bruce and Alfred before you go…have a quiet morning"

Christine hiccupped slightly as she sniffed herself back into a smile.

"Ok"

* * *

><p><strong>Wayne Tower (Gotham), May 24 2011, 12:47 EDT<strong>

Rain pelted the windows as small clap of thunder rolled on overhead. This was actually rather tame considering Gotham's notoriously horrible weather which at the worst of times was so bad that it made even walking outside on a pavement a safety hazard.

A bolt of lightning crashed outside the window of the tall Wayne Enterprises office though its lone occupant did not see it. Indeed Bruce Wayne did not have eyes for anything at the moment besides the holographic screen in front of his face that glowed brightly in the darkness of his large office, of which the blinds had been completely shut to block out the sight of the miserable city drenched in rain.

On the screen several windows containing a single large picture of a man's bloodied corpse in on a mortuary slab was flashing in front of his face along with small little side notes as the computer analysed the contents of the photographs.

_Four stab wounds…each in the stomach…_

Bruce zoomed into the picture around the area he was observing, only for three cleaned to become magnified. Even without the blood pouring from them they looked rather gruesome against the deathly pale skin of the corpse.

_…close range judging by the angle and ferociously delivered if the jaggedness of the cuts is anything to go by… _

He zoomed out and moved the image around so that he was viewing just the bare torso and head. The man's hair was short and white, matching the full moustache that covered this upper lip, making the purple colour of his irises that stared out from the dull glassy orbs from within his wrinkled eye sockets, pop out. His mouth was open in a dull echo of a half cried scream,

_he was restrained by a stronger person as he was over six feet tall in height…most likely a man…yes definitely a man…those bruises over the arms and neck are handprints much too large in shape and size to be a woman's…attempted asphyxiation-_

**_Beep!_**

Bruce startled as the receiver on his desk beeped as his secretary's voice called over the link.

"Hello Mr. Wayne, Mr Fox is here to see you" her voice was not so much coated with sugary sweetness as much as it was full on drenched and dripping with it.

"Send him in Elaina" He rolled his eyes as he pressed a button on the underside of his desk that turned off the holographic screens. He wasn't in the mood to deal with a stupid drooling gold digging woman at the moment.

He glanced up at the door as his old friend entered the room a grave look on his face.

"I do hope I haven't interrupted you Bruce"

"not at all Lucius I was just…uh…" Bruce quickly resettled his papers realising with trepidation that they were the same ones he'd been given this morning to sign, read over and hand in right at that moment.

The older man seemed to notice this but quickly put a patient hand up to silence his boss.

"Bruce I understand…these past few days have been tough…by the way how is Christine holding up?"

"Not too good…but better than before…"

"Yes…that was well…pretty bad back then wasn't it" Lucius nodded but then he tried to smile. "Poor girl…but she's strong and she has you, Dick and Alfred. Not to mention that friend of hers Freddy. I'm sure she'll pull through in time"

"I hope so… she's crying a lot during the night and she's gone pretty quiet…her appetites gone down too…"

"Maybe ask Dr Thompkins to see her…maybe get her to try and talk to Christine or something?" Lucius suggested but Bruce shook his head eyes downcast.

"Christine will never talk if she is made to by others…no the best way to do it is to be there by her side until she feels ready to talk"

"True point" Lucius nodded solemnly.

"Is there anything else you need Lucius?" Bruce normally wasn't so forthcoming or direct with his friend but he wanted to get back to assessing the dead corpse as quickly as possible…and truly he did not feel in the mood to talk about emotions of any kind at this point in time…they interfered too much with the case.

Lucius gazed briefly at him for a moment as if guessing his thoughts before sighing and sat down in a chair in front of the desk.

"The Hallow's layers have sent me a copy of the last will and testament of Stanley Stuart Hallows Senior. Apparently not only has he left all of his estates and fortune to Christine but also his title as the Earl of Brumalund with his wife as the signatory until she comes of age at eighteen"

Bruce's eyes widened with astonishment. "What the-you mean to tell me that she's now the countess?"

"It would seem so?"

"But I thought that the peerage didn't acknowledge a woman inheriting a seat in the House of Lords"

"They aren't…at least not entirely…" Lucius brought his voice down to just a mutter "They'll accept her taking the title of Countess but according to her grandmother the House of Lords are currently divided over letting her join them. Some believe that it is time for a change and that certain social standards must be bent to allow for a new generation but a lot more others believe in the opposite."

"And let me guess they're a bunch of old, traditionalist men driven by a strict class system are they?" derisively snorted slightly under his breath.

"Most of them yes…but I've been doing some research, and I am sorry to say Bruce, but there are some members that were not too fond of the old Hallows family especially Christine's grandfather."

"How much so? Would they kill him if they had the chance?" Bruce's eyes narrowed. Call him paranoid but one does not make a place in one of the most powerful stations in Europe and not gain some form of enemies.

Lucius spared him a look that said quite plainly that what he was about to say confirmed Bruce's worries and sure enough.

"There are three who would try…a Viscount, an Earl and maybe a Marquess…but I'm not quite sure what their full titles are. All I know is, is that one of these two was once the fiancé of Countess Evelyn back when she was young. He apparently was madly in love with her but was rather forceful and quick jealousy and violent temper tantrums."

"So she broke off the engagement?"

"Naturally" Lucius nodded "and then six months later she married Stanley Senior, who apparently was a rather bitter rival of her old fiancé"

"And what about the other two peers. What motive would they have to murder the Earl?" Bruce Leaned forwards intrigued.

"Well…the second one is the father of one of Stuart Junior's old girlfriends"

"Loose Loretta" Bruce muttered rolling his eyes at the memory.

"Loretta what?" Lucius spluttered.

"Loretta Bearheart" Bruce repeated smirking a little "and what her father doesn't know is that Stuart only dumped her because she slept around with three guys behind his back whilst they were dating"

"Well that's quite unfortunate for poor Stuart" Lucius coughed to settle himself back to his sombre state "But back to the matter at hand. The last person that likely to have killed or arranged for a killing might just be…now don't take my word as gospel…I'm just making a guess from what information I could get my hands on and frankly I'm not sure how much of it is true…but I'm just guessing they might be the _dear_ Madame Scarlet Tailors…Uncle…" Lucius trailed off at the absolutely furious look that had flashed over Bruce's face, though it was quickly dispelled.

"Right…so…Christine's father's ex-girlfriend's father, her grandmother's ex-fiancé and her maternal granduncle?…Good grief, this is starting to sound as complicated as an episode of Downton Abbey" Bruce groaned pinching the bridge of his nose after counting down on his fingers.

Lucius snorted.

"I didn't think you'd enjoy such shows."

"I don't but Alfred and Christine do" Bruce shook his head. "Is there anything else that I need to know about this will?"

"Only that you will become signatory should anything happen to the Countess Evelyn before Christine comes of age and a small package which should be coming in within the next day or two"

"A package?" Bruce quirked an eyebrow with intrigue "Did anyone know or say what was in it?"

"No…no one except the countess knows and apparently she was sworn to not tell anyone but you or your husband"

Bruce mulled it over in his head frowning a little.

_Odd…Lady Evelyn never usually does this…_

"Well then, I best be off…I hope everything gets better for you guys at home and if you need anything you know where to find me" Lucius nodded as he stood up from his chair

"Thank you Lucius" Bruce nodded in gratitude as the man walked out the door quickly, leaving him alone in the dark rolled over the sky again, the sheer force of the sound making his chair vibrate slightly under him.

_Hopefully she doesn't catch a cold out there…_

He sighed and pressed the button under the desk again, allowing the images of the old Earl's corpse to fill his vision once more.

**Connecticut (USA), May 24 2011, 18:07 EDT**

"Command come in."

_"Command here Terminator. What is your status?"_

"The little Blackbird flew the cave twelve hours ago and is finally approaching hot spot. Requesting permission to initiate Operation Birdcage"

"_Permission granted. Proceed with due caution. Try and keep casualties to a minimum and follow orders to the tee. We cannot afford ANY mistakes. We'll await a status report in an hour from the helicopters designated drop-zone co-ordinates. If you do not make it there by then, then the plane will have to leave without you and you and the Blackbird will have to find another way to fly back to the Nest_"

"Understood but hopefully it will not come to that. Terminator out"

* * *

><p>"Forty six bottles of beer on the wall, forty six bottles of be~er! You take one down, pass it around, forty five bottles of beer on the wall. Forty five bottles of beer on the wall, forty five bottles of be~er-"<p>

Christine was so far down in her seat at the far back that her head was barely visible over the bottom sill of the bus's window as she stuffed a finger in each ear.

_Maybe I should've stayed at the cave today!_

She grumbled in her head as her two best friends that sat on either side of her grinned mischievously as they joined in the singing. One a boy with brown hair dyed flaming red at the tips was grinning at the blonde curly haired girl that was now laughing.

"Oh come on Christine, join in, it's just a bus song"

"Freddy…that is exactly the reason I am NOT joining in…besides," Christine spared her best friend a withering look "you know I can't sing…not now…"

She took the black baseball cap and pulled the bill over her eyes. Whilst it served its purpose to block the many sight of many singing ballerinas out of her vision it unfortunately did nothing to protect her ears.

Freddy's brown eyes softened as she saw the gothic "G" and "A" letters embroidered in red within a silver shield shaped crest on the front flash in her face.

"Hey" she murmured gently "You really need to smile a little"

"What I need…" Christine huffed "is some sleep"

"Which you can get after we set up camp at the river" Martin raised an eyebrow, but Christine just huffed and slumped even further down folding her arms tight around her.

Freddy sighed.

"Chrissy…I know it's soon and I know you're hurting but that doesn't mean you stop living. Come on…we'll have a great time…just relax and take a break from everything…you need it…"

Christine pouted up at her friend's concerned face before hiding it again in her knees.

Freddy grinned.

"I hopped of the plane at L.A.X. with my dream and my cardigan." She sang looking up at Martin who smirked and began singing alongside her.

"Welcome to the Land of fame excess. Am I gonna fit in?"

Two girls to their left heard them and joined in also smiling.

"Jumped in the cab here I am for the first time. Look to my right and I see the Hollywood sign"

"No! No you will not make me sing Miley Cyrus" Christine hid her face in her hands as two more girls joined in behind them.

"This is all so crazy, Everybody seems so famous"

"You guys are insane!" she hollered as with every new sentence of the lyrics a few more girls joined in singing

"My tummy's turning and I'm feelin' kinda home sick. Too much pressure and I'm nervous. That's when the taxi man turned on the radio and a Jay-Z song was on! And the Jay-Z song was on!"

"Oh god!" Christine groaned though her mouth was twitching upwards in a small smile as the entire class of girls musically steamrolled over her.

"And the Jay-Z song was on!"

There was a pause as they all looked at her expectantly most of them smirking and all of them waggling their eyebrows playfully.

Christine rolled her eyes and opened her mouth…

And sang loudly!

"So I put my hands up-"

"They're playing my song, the butterflies fly away" the girls all joined her some harmonizing their voices and others beat boxing a beat.

"Noddin' my head like yeah. Movin' my hips like yeah. I got my hands up, they're playin' my song I know I'm gonna be OK. Ye~ah, it's a party in the USA! Ye~ah-"

"It's a party in the USA!" Christine belted out grinning.

_BANG! SCREECH!_

"KYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" everyone screamed with terror as the bus swerved violently the back half of it skidding almost completely off the road!

"Everybody hold OOONNNN!" The poor driver at the front of the bus yelled as he slammed his foot down on the brakes.

Bags fell from compartments high above them some hitting the teenagers on the heads whilst others crashed to the floor spilling their contents everywhere.

Christine felt herself be painfully squashed as Martin fell on top, sandwiching her between him and Freddy's ribs as the blonde was roughly shoved against the window.

She shut her eyes and held on tight trying her best to avoid getting hit by flying objects. It took a while for the large vehicle to slow down to a halt by which time many were silent with shocked terror and clutching onto their seats for dear life.

* * *

><p>"Terminator to Command. Target hit. Moving in now?"<p>

_"Good Job Terminator now wait a moment. Command to Alpha squad, be on guard for any special guests that may try to interfere."_

_"Understood command. Alpha squad securing perimeter now. Alpha out."_

_"Command to Terminator. Perimeter is secured you have permission to move in on target_"

"Good then I'm goin' in. Terminator out"

* * *

><p>At the front of the bus a woman in her late forties turned round in her seat shaking slightly as she gulped for air, looking at them all with wide and fearful deep brown eyes.<p>

"…you…you ok back there?"

"Y-yes…Madame Fletcher" Freddy groaned as she peeled herself off the window.

The other teenage girls and Martin all moaned in pain but nodded in agreement as they made to resettle themselves. Christine could plainly see some of them looking a bit battered but otherwise they seemed mostly undamaged.

Madame Fletcher took note of this quickly as she herself began to rearrange her grey flecked mousy brown hair back into its customary bun and gave a sigh of relief

"Thank goodness" she turned to the driver who had gotten out of his seat to come back towards them "What happened?"

"I-I-I don't have the foggiest…" the man, a guy probably in his early thirties with dirty blonde hair and a good natured face, said shakily trembling from head to foot with shock. "I need to go outside and check…that being said I don't have a flashlight."

"One of us could go with you to hold the torch" Christine suggested quickly eager to figure out the mystery behind what just happened.

"No. I will go with him." Madame Fletcher said sternly her features hardening so that she looked rather like an angry mother bear, a look that only intensified when the disguised girl wonder opened her mouth to speak "In fact **_all_** of you will stay right here and for once put those cell phones of yours to good use to try and get us some help."

Every teenager nodded as they all began scrambling for their bags or pockets for their phones as both adults made to move outside the bus doors. Christine however stood up on her chair and reached for her duffle bag which she quickly moved to the empty row of seats in front of her.

She opened the zip up quickly and reached in for a purple utility belt that she quietly zipped around her waist under all her clothes, before shoving in a small com piece in her ear and stuffing a spare black domino mask with white lenses in the front pocket of her large but comfy royal purple hooded jumper. She quickly put her bag back and sat down taking out her phone, which had actually been in her jeans pocket the entire time, and switched it on.

After a few seconds of the loading screen with the Wayne-Tech Logo appearing on it the home display flickered on, the bars and background all in a specially customised icy blue chrome.

All save one. She frowned as a small line of red text flashed across her screen.

**_No Signal Found_**

_Now that's really odd..._

Her brows furrowed further as she concentrated on going through her connections settings.

**_No Signal Found_**

**_No Signal Found_**

**_No Signal Found_**

She pulled the phone up to her ear to hide her fingers as they pressed into her com link.

Her ears filled with static at once and she quickly turned it off wincing with slight irritation at the grating sound of the white noise.

So she decided to try something else. Her fingers flew across the screen typing in a code, well learned over many years of practice.

**_Unable to Connect. Signal not found._**

She almost dropped the phone to the floor.

Hers, Dick's and Bruce's phones weren't like the other models designed by Wayne Tech at all. All three had been designed to work just as well as their com pieces with the ability to access a multitude of highly secured frequencies as well as remotely access the bat-cave's systems, unless…

…Unless…

…there was something blocking the signal…

But even as she thought this idea through the deep gravelly familiar voice crossed her mind.

_Christine I know it doesn't look like much but when I'm gone you have to keep it safe…So that in case something happens I can find you and help you, got that?_

"Chrissy?"

Christine looked up and saw Freddy looking worriedly at her screen. She shook her head.

The blonde's brown eyes shut as she bit her lip nervously.

"So…no luck yet?" Christine looked around the bus. Many of the girls were all sharing the same expression as they tried dialling their phones only to hear of no connection on the other end.

_And five. Four. Three. Two. One._

"OMG! WHAT DO WE DO?! WHAT DO WE DO DARCY?!" a girl with long dyed blonde hair and dark roots squeaked in terror and every other girl groaned with exasperation.

"Maggie seriously" Darcy, an African American girl with her dark hair in a braid, snapped panicky from beside her but Maggie didn't seem to hear her. In fact she just kept ranting on.

"This is just like one of those movies where these kids get stranded in the middle of nowhere and then they have to survive in this creepy cabin or house or whatever and then one disappears and the others try to find them but they too start to get picked off and-"

"MAGGIE CALM DOWN!" every other girl on the bus yelled in unison and Maggie shut up tough she still was trembling like a leaf as the others started to mutter amongst themselves.

"God seriously you'd think we were in a horror film with exorcist girl" Freddy muttered irritably under her breath as Martin nodded.

"yeah…what's probably happened is that we're just too far away from a signal out here and we've run a flat…typical camp busses" he snorted.

Christine would've agreed but something in her gut told her that Maggie, with all her overly dramatic imagination, might have a very valid reason to be scared.

Call it her bat senses but the girl wonder thought that the situation was all too convenient to be just a mere accident. Their bus runs a flat in the middle of a deserted highway surrounded by nothing but national park forest with a few tall hills around them that made decent vantage points of the environment and all their communications signals were being jammed including her com she used as Swift. This situation was too freaky strange, even by her standards and she had seen a lot of freaky strange things in her five years as a crime fighter.

But nothing could have possibly prepared her for what she was about to hear next.

A sickening loud crack…followed by a high piercing scream.

Everyone in the bus froze eyes wide with terror.

"oh my god" Freddy gasped as they heard the sounds of many thumps and yelps from outside the bus.

Darcy quickly shoved a hand over Maggie as she almost let out a squeak of fright as something hard crashed into the side of the bus, rocking it slightly. Christine reached out silently under her hoody and tapped the buckle of her purple utility belt underneath, hoping and praying that its signal would be picked up even with the apparent communication difficulties.

She'd barely taken her fingers off the item for a split second when Madame Fletcher's voice shrieked into the night

"No! Please stop! No! Please! I'll do whatever you want but please don't hurt them!"

"Don't worry I won't hurt them," Came a deep masculine but very slick voice.

It made the hairs on the back of Christine's neck stand on end. That voice where had she heard it before?

"In fact I have merely come to collect one of them…you see my employer is very, very interested in her well-being and we would like to think that we were doing her a favour by picking her up…now either you let me on that bus or we do this the hard way Madame…your choice."

Christine looked around the bus. Out of all the twenty or so girls present including herself, there were around twelve that were worth something to make for a decent ransom, and only four of those that would have the powerful enough status to be targets by extremely sinister criminal organisations.

She was betting on the latter, because she knew the sound of breaking bone and if she was very much mistaken the bus driver was now dead…as she could not hear him at all outside…

"Chrissy…what do we do?" Freddy's lower lip was now trembling as she tried to hold back tears.

Christine leaned into her to whisper softly, repeating words she'd been taught a long time ago.

"Whatever you guys do, do not try to fight him; it will only give him an excuse to hurt you. If he tries to do anything you run and hide. Use the forest and the trees around us as cover. And quickly as you can make for flowing water and try to make sure everyone sticks together. Trained killer or not it's still harder for one individual to kill a group of people"

"And what if he has a bomb double o seven?" Martin tried to joke but his voice wavered and he had to gulp down the lump in his throat.

"Run as soon as you see it and take cover behind something and stuff your ears real good and hope you survive" Christine shut her eyes and bit her lip.

_Oh god, someone please pick up the signal! Please!_

But her prayers went unanswered as their instructor sobbed softly but distinctly.

"Th-This way…f-follow me…"

Two sets of footsteps approached the front of the bus.

She felt Freddy and Martin both grab her hands tight and lean into her and she returned the gesture, trying as hard as she could to relay some form of comfort as silently as possible without opening her mouth as the door to the bus opened and two figures stepped up into it.

Christine's eyes snapped open, eyes focused as they came into view beneath the lights in the ceiling above.

One was Madame Fletcher, her hair loose and a mess, caked with blood smearing from a large cut starting from her left temple going down to her chin on the left side of her face whilst her right jaw was covered in a large fist shaped bruise. Tears streamed down her face as something sharp and metallic pressed against her long graceful throat. It was being held by a man, tall, lean and muscular and seemed to be dressed in a dark grey full bodied kelvar suit with black armour over the top, a black utility belt with pouches, and two sheaths on his back, one for the sword he was currently using and one for a large staff..

He wore a mask that fully covered his face and head, save for a long thin white gold ponytail that stuck out at the back. The mask itself was strange as the right side was completely black with the eye covered over whilst the left side was a deep orange-golden colour and had a hole that revealed Caucasian skinned eyelid surrounding a bright blue eye.

Christine shivered as the solitary orb swivelled around to look at each of their faces in turn, studying them and assessing them before finally landing on hers.

"Hmm…well, well, well. Miss Hallow's such a pleasure to meet you"

"Do you know him?" Martin muttered his grip on Christine's hand tightening.

Christine shook her head but maintained eye contact with the strange masked man as she replied  
>"No..."<p>

"hmm…such a pity since I've heard so much about _you_"

She couldn't be sure for certain but he sounded like he was smirking under that mask.

"What do you want?" She quickly stood up, much to the soft protests of the other girls around her.

"I want you and your two friends there…" he pointed to Freddy and Martin beside her "to take your bags and come with me, quietly"

"And if we refuse?" Christine glanced around making sure they were all still in their spots.

The man didn't say anything but pressed his blade into Madame Fletcher's neck as she spluttered for breath.

"And she won't be the only one I can assure you" he hissed.

"…alright…" Christine turned to Martin and Freddy who were both pale as snow and murmured quietly. "What about the oth-"

"The appropriate authorities will be alerted come to pick them up as soon as we leave" the man growled irritably "you three have five minutes to meet me outside."

He shoved Madame Fletcher into one of the seats beside him and strode out the door.

"You heard him…get your bags. The rest of you…" She looked up at the other girls, many of whom were now sobbing too hard or staring too shocked at the scene to really register anything. "I'll see you all later"

She couldn't find it in herself to say farewell. The lump in her throat just hurt far too much for that, but they seemed to understand nonetheless.

She turned her face away from them and tried to get her duffle back down, Martin eventually having to help her reach it his face a white mask of panic.

Freddy was having trouble positioning her backpack on her back she was shaking so bad. Christine had to help her with that only for her friend to lean mostly on her, heaving loud sobs as they and Martin walked slowly to the front of the bus like criminals walking to the gallows…without one look back at their friends.

The man's one visible eye narrowed as they stepped outside to join him.

He rolled it as he saw the state Freddy was in.

"Follow me and whatever you do don't slow down. I'm on a pretty tough timetable as it stands."

_Timetable…_

Christine nodded, her brain suddenly switching from teenage-girl-mode to detective-girl-wonder-mode as they walked through the dark wet forest.

_He's working for someone…someone obviously very wealthy and powerful if he has access to use such armour and weapons. The run of the mill guns for hire don't' sport kelvar nor carry katana's like…that…Katana…the way he holds it…he's been trained professionally…institutionalised training perhaps but that means he must belong to some organisation of some kind…_

She paused in her musings as the stranger began to climb up the sides of a gully.

He was quite comfortable with outdoor terrains. Not like Martin and Freddy who were having a hard time following his path through the undergrowth. It appeared to be well trodden on, but not by any humans. Rather it had been made by an animal, maybe a white tailed deer…they were native wildlife after all right?

_If we're Bambi and friends then he's the hunter…_

She looked back up to see the man's back and had to swallow the unpleasant lump in her throat as he turned round to narrow his one good eye at her.

She quickly turned away and let herself fall behind Martin and Freddy so that she brought up the rear.

The man smirked once again and turned back around.

They continued to walk in silence, Christine still wondering and praying in her head that her belt's signal was being picked up somewhere like the Batcave, Mountain or the Watchtower or even Superman's ruddy fortress of solitude!

_Child I could help you send them a message_

Zephyra's voice echoed soothingly in her head.

_No you can't_

Christine winced as she almost tripped over a large tree root sticking up from the ground.

_Not without endangering my friends at least_

Her guardian did not reply seemingly content with that answer for now, but leaving Christine feeling more miserable than ever.

At least if Zephyra was talking to her she had someone to guide her, to ask advice, like how she'd ask Bruce, Alfred or even the team…

Her thoughts went back to that morning and to Kaldur's words.

_"we are your friends Christine. We will always worry about you when you're facing tough times such as these"_

It took everything in her power not to break down there and then, but she managed, and with a blank poker face that would've done the dark knight proud she soldiered on until they finally reached their destination.

Christine, Freddy and Martin all stood together shivering in the cold night air and looked around themselves nervously.

It was a large empty clearing in which the man went to stand in the centre of, taking out a tiny metallic box from his belt and pressing a switch off.

Nothing seemed to happen.

The man turned to Christine the one eye glinting with something like malicious pleasure.

"your com unit please?"

"P-pardon?"

"You're com unit in your ear Swift" the man repeated irritably "

Christine's eyes widened as did Freddy's, but neither's shock could compare to that of Martin's who spluttered.

"Swift? What the-Chris what is he talking about?"

"I'm losing my patience" the man's tone turned into a deadly hiss, the unspoken promise of pain and retribution hanging in the air.

Christine sighed and took her com piece out of her ear and handed it to the man who clicked it once and held it out in his palm.

There was a beeping sound from the other end.

Christine's breath caught in her throat as the sound quickly died out as the call was answered.

_"Swift what is wrong? Are you alright?! The team has picked up your distress signal and we're on our way just hold on! Swift!"_

It was Aqualad and he sounded really worried.

Christine opened her mouth to speak but the man merely glowered at her anger pulsing through his voice as he hissed.

"Signal?! You little brat!"

His free hand was so fast that Christine did not see it until it was just in front of her face.

**_KATHWACK!_**

Freddy and Martin both jumped and cried out with fright as Christine was flung backwards to the ground from the sheer force of the backhanded slap. She looked up silent tears in her defiant eyes as she heard Conner's voice from the tiny device.

"_What was that_?"

"_Oh god do you think she's been-_"

"_Oh no_"

But Zatanna and M'gann's voices were cut off as Wally steamrolled over them panic evident in his voice

"_Hey Chris! Chris please respond! Please! Where are you_?"

"_Do you think she's alright_?" Artemis's voice asked quietly and it was quickly followed by a noise that Christine was sure was Raquel's voice but it was too quiet to hear for certain.

The man snorted and held the little device up to his mouth.

"Hello young heroes"

There was a silence on the other end for a few moments before…

"_Who the hell are you_?"

It was Roy and he sounded more pissed off than Christine had ever heard him in her life.

"You may call me…" the man paused for dramatic emphasis and she caught the crinkle in the sides of his one eye that told her he was smiling "Deathstroke"

Another pause from the team.

"_What have you done with our comrade?_" Kaldur sounded calm but there was a deadly edge to his voice like thunder from a storm.

"Oh don't you worry fish boy, she and her friends are quite alright with me..."

"_And what's that supposed to mean?_" A deep rumble came from the com unit.

Christine's heart caught in her chest with both relief and terror as Freddy and Martin both squeaked with surprise.

"Batman" Deathstroke rumbled smugly "I was wondering when you'd join in. Tell me just how careless does a father like you have to be to let his only little girl out of his sight even when he knows her life might be in danger"

"_Deathstroke if you so much as touch a hair on her or any of those children's heads you will be sorry_" came a new voice, much like Conner's but more matured with age.

"Oh and you brought you're best friend the alien along with you too… How quaint" Deathstrock sneered mockingly "But you needn't worry I don't plan on killing any of them…yet…"

"_You stinking son of a -_" Dick began to snarl.

"Ah-ah-ah! Robin Language, your girlfriend is still listening" Deathstroke tutted before letting loose a loud unrestrained laugh.

It was an evil hollow sound that filled the area and reverberated off the trees so that their ears rang with the sound.

"Put her on. I want to speak to her" Batman growled.

"hmm…alright then" Deathstroke mastered his laughter quickly and swiftly reached down to grab Christine by the scruff of her clothes to dangle in front of him.

"Go on girl, talk to your dad. Might be your last chance"

"D-Dad" Christine tried to keep herself together but her voice cracked nonetheless.

"I'm here Christine." Batman said though his gruff tone wavered slightly

"We all are" Dick added firmly. "We're coming for you just hold on"

"Dad…Dad…please…Freddy and Martin are with me too" she blubbered and she heard a collective hiss on the other end as the others heard it "…can you tell their…their..."

"We'll tell their families" Superman assured her.

"What you need to focus on is staying alive and looking after them…can you do that?" Batman asked.

Christine nodded, but then remembered they could not see her.

"Yes…yes I can"

"We'll find you …we'll find you and bring all three of you back safe and sound. We promise." Kaldur's voice sounded slightly weaker than before or was that because there was something louder coming down from above.

Christine, Freddy and Martin all looked up to see the dark shadow of a large helicopter as it descended down into the opposite end of the clearing till it hovered just a few feet above the ground.

"Look's like our rides here!"

Deathstroke called out over the loud whirring of the propellers above as a wood and rope ladder was rolled out the side of the aircraft just as two men in black stealth suits jumped down to the ground.

"NO! NO! STOP LET THEM GO!" Christine screeched as they grabbed Martin and Freddy who both began screaming loudly, both now crying their eyes out as they were forcibly dragged up the ladders and into the darkness of the plane.

She saw Deathstroke tilt his hand with the com over slightly.

"What are you doing?"

"My job" Deathstroke glared down at her "I have to get you to the Apprentice and then I get paid that's how it works.

"Apprentice? Who's-" but then she gasped in horror as she saw the little metallic disc begin to slip tantalisingly slow down his palm.

"Wait please I have to say goodbye-"

It was already dropping as if in slow motion into the grassy ground.

"Please I have to-"

"They are no longer any of your concern" Deathstroke hissed.

"NO STOP!" She struggled wildly as his large booted foot was lifted up over the tiny item.

"GUYS!" She shrieked seizing her last chance as the boot came crashing down in one quick swipe Just Dick's distressed yell burst out at the same time.

"GOODBYE!"

"CHRISTI-SCHZZZZZZZZZZZ!"

* * *

><p>"CHRISTINE!" Dick yelled desperately as the connection turned into white noise.<p>

There was a loud wailing sound as M'gann sank in her chair at the helm of the bio-ship, curling in upon herself her green cheeks streaming with tears. She wasn't the only one. Artemis and Zatanna were crying too as they both held onto each other in their seats.

Raquel was just staring at the screen her eyes widened with shock as Kaldur shut his eyes, shame and misery etched into his fine features. Conner gritted his teeth determined not to cry, but instead letting a roar escape him as he slammed his fist down onto his station in front of him before howling despondently in unison with Wolf who paused once or twice in his raving to whine and sniff sadly.

Roy was not crying but swearing over the top of his lungs unrestrainedly with anger and frustration gripping at his hair almost as if he wished to tear it out by the roots.

Batman and Superman however approached Robin…who had fallen to his hands and knees in front of the screen as silent tears streamed down his face, shaking like a leaf.

The Dark Knight knelt down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder shutting his eyes as he heard Superman's voice become a drone in the background as he sent an emergency call to all Justice League members.

Batman couldn't care less though.

His daughter was gone as were two other helpless kids… and it was all his fault…

* * *

><p>DUN-DUN-DUN!<p>

I'm ba~ck! with a vengeance.

sorry it took so long to post. I just had difficulty getting ideas for this chapter up and running. I had several versions but this was the one I liked the best so...yeah...thought I might start this one with a BANG!

Ok I don't know much about writing Deathstroke so I hope I didn't make him too OOC. he's not exactly an easy character to get information about in terms of character and I'm kind of banking on my Teen Titans cartoons for most of the stuff. I do know that in the Batman Wiki he is called Deathstroke the Terminator so that's why his codename is Terminator (sorry but it wasn't a Arnie reference :P )

also I did try to research about the UK's peerage system but its so complex so if I got any information wrong do forgive me.

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter

keep R&Ring for more :)


	3. Episode 2

**Episode 2: Below **

**?, May 25 2011, 21:09 EDT**

"Christine, Chrissy wake up"

Christine grunted but her eyes flickered open nonetheless to stare up into Freddy's terrified face. The first thing she noticed was that her head was sore and her cheek was stinging badly.

"God what kind of camp did I sign up for again?" she groaned wincing slightly as the bruises around her cheek twinged anew with each word spoken

"Oh thank god!" Freddy sighed with relief and slumped into the dark wall behind her

Christine bit her lip as she tried to discern from her view of the ceiling where she was. But there was nothing much to work with. It was just the normal interior of the cargo bay in a large black military helicopter…

Cargo bay? Military…Helicopter!

She sat up quickly and clutched at her head as all the blood drained much too fast from it. After a few minutes of righting herself she felt around for her utility belt…but nothing was there.

She checked her jean pockets for her phone…nothing there either…

She took several deep shuddering breaths as she looked around her surroundings, terror coursing through her veins like the ice that was tingling on her fingertips as she tried to sit up, shimmering cold fractals spreading over the dark floor.

The whirring of a propeller was blasting over her head but her ears had been covered by earmuffs, as had Freddy's and Martin's, who was sitting next to her his eyes shut as he shivered in a ball his eyes red with dark circles under them.

At the front of the aircraft a dual tone headgear of gold and black twisted round in the co-pilot's seat and looked back at them, the one blue eye on the right glanced suspiciously.

It held Christine's wary gaze for a full moment before the man stood up and strode over towards them

"What's going on here?" She tried to sound brave but she couldn't help the tremble in her voice or her body at the sight of the man's powerful form.

Deathstroke's eye narrowed at her but he answered nonetheless.

"We're landing"

"Where?" Christine snapped. There was something about the way he stood that screamed assassin and not just assassin, but a cold blooded ruthless killer that never missed a target.

There was a slight jolt as the bottom helicopter settled onto solid ground.

Martin winced and for the first time Christine noticed a large bruise on the side of his face that looked quite painful.

Before she could make a comment Deathstroke grabbed her by the arm just as two other men from the shadows grabbed her two friends.

Christine didn't struggle but allowed him to pull her out of the Helicopter and out into the cold night air.

She blinked.

All around them were city lights glowing brightly in the dark, most of them below the pad's line of vision. But what really got Christine's attention was the view of the large globe standing atop of a tall building in the distance.

It had the words _Daily Planet_ rotating around it in a band.

_Wait…we're in Metropolis?_

Christine heard Freddy gasp and whipped around to see two people come up the stairs at the far south of the pads "H" sign.

The first one was very familiar…why? Because he was identical to the boy standing right next to her.

"George!" Martin cried out shoving his captor's grip off of his arm before running towards his twin, who caught him in a tight hold.

"You alright man?"

"Yeah…yeah I'm fine" George sighed with relief as he caught sight of Christine and Freddy who also came running up to greet him. Freddy flung her arms around the both of them, grabbing Christine by her hood in the process so that she was squeezed in painfully at the side.

"Oww Freddy" all three winced as their bones were crushed into each other forcibly by the hug.

There was a deep chuckle in the darkness followed by a slow mocking clapping.

"Well isn't this just sweet,"

Christine broke apart quickly and stared wide eyed at the spot where the sound came from.

_Oh hell no!_

Her heart sank low into her stomach as she caught sight of someone walking towards them slowly clapping their hands. Someone in a sharp black suit…with a bald head…

"Good evening Christine, Miss Lantern, Mr Hamish and…heh! Mr Hamish," the man smirked.

"Luthor" Christine snarled angrily feeling some of her grit return to her. Strange mysterious hit men with unknown power might scare her but psychotic billionaire businessmen that had with a god complex did not.

"If you would please follow me downstairs…I have someone who I would like you to meet" Lex Luthor smirked triumphantly.

They had landed on a helicopter pad…right on top…of Lex Corp Enterprises.

* * *

><p><strong>Watchtower, May 25 2011, 22:39 EDT<strong>

"You ok Bruce?" Superman's voice was soft as he approached his friend who was currently sitting in the Monitor room, back stiff as his fingers danced around multiple keyboards.

"Don't you have a city to save" Batman snapped. He was sleep deprived, confused and most of all terrified. His fourteen year old daughter and her two friends, all three young kids, were missing and he could not find them on any radar what so ever. So of course he was NOT ok!

"It doesn't need saving just yet" Superman's eyes softened with pity as he looked at the various monitors that showed scans of the earth, though none of the results anyone was hoping for.

"Still no trace?"

Batman shook his head silently.

"Have you told Dick yet?"

"He probably already knows" Batman grunted as he pressed a button that ran a scan of the Connecticut area. "If anything he'll have hacked the Watchtower mainframe and will have been watching my scans"

There was silence for a while, Superman standing behind Batman's chair as the Dark Knight repeated scan after scan, after diligent scan.

Then finally there was a beep and they both looked up, only to hear Alfred's old face dominate the speakers as he called in from the Bat-Cave.

"_Master Bruce there has been some development down our end I thought you should know of_"

"Fire away Alfred"

The clack of typing echoed across the speakers.

Finally after a few moments of sound a file appeared on a holoscreen to Batman's right.

The dark knight clicked it open and saw to his great surprise the familiar face of a young man with brown hair and round glasses

"Whilst you have been working up there sir, Young Master Dick answered Commissioner Gordon's call to arms." Alfred began as Batman began clicking through the other attachments eagerly "Apparently young Martin Hamish's twin brother George has been reported missing for several hours. According to the report filed by the police, both the boy's parents told them that after the news of their first son being kidnapped young Mr Hamish went outside for a walk around the block to 'clear his head', from which he never returned."

"I see…and has there been any trace?"

"From what the reports say the boy seems to have simply vanished from the face of the earth…However…there is something odd about the whole situation if I may say so myself."

"Go on" Batman's eyes narrowed with concentration as Alfred used his connection on his end to scroll down one of the documents, a copy of an online blog on a random website that had been posted twelve hours ago.

_"__Sorry about the Livestream cutting off like that guys but there was just this huge blackout just now in my whole block thirty minutes ago? My desktop only just started responding now. Weird huh?"_

"This was typed up around twelve hours ago and that wasn't all. Nearly the whole of Gotham's electrical systems on the grid were jammed for that whole half hour that Mr Hamish was out for his _walk_ even the Batcave's computer was affected"

"Half an hour? Someone must have amplified a fairly powerful EMP wave to do that" Superman frowned.

"Like the EMP wave that was blocking Christine's phone signal when she, Freddy and Martin were kidnapped" he growled as the man of steel leant over to take control of the computers so that they replayed the scan from over twenty four hours ago and compared it to the more recent one.

"Hold it Clark" Batman squinted as he examined the image of the wavelength that Superman was about to minimise on the display. His eyes widened in surprise. "No…It couldn't be…"

"Bruce"

"Luthor…."

"What?" Superman narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Lex Luthor. Clark, one of his newest inventions for the department of defence is an EMP wave amplifier! It's said to be powerful enough to disrupt entire cities in one press of a button leaving the area activated completely powerless. The fact that whoever kidnapped Christine has this sort of device means he obviously has links to Luthor!"

Superman's eyes widened considerably.

"But I was at Lex Corp for a scoop during both those kidnappings. And Luthor was in a meeting with other board members the entire day and no one out of the ordinary made contact with him. I would've heard if he did,"

"There are more ways of keeping contact without speaking out loud that you cannot track like emails and text messages" Batman growled as he pressed a few keys and added another connection to his call.

"You're calling the team?"

"Yes. I need them to recon Lex Corp and see if there is anything out of the ordinary with Luthor's movements."

There was a beep as the call was dispatched through to the team finally. But the response was not coming from the cave.

Batman's eyes narrowed as he saw the group of teenage heroes sitting inside their Bio-ship.

"I thought I told you all to stay put until a lead was found" He glowered with exasperation.

"With all due respect Batman" Aqualad stood up from his seat close to the helm. "But surely by now you of all people should know that you cannot expect us to sit and wait whilst one of our friends is in trouble"

Batman was silent for a moment as he considered the faces that were looking at him. Some were angry, some were nervous but all of them were determined and willing. He sighed.

"I take it Robin hacked the cameras too?"

He looked to his protégé who stiffened slightly, confusion etched over his face. His mentor did not sound angry. In fact he sounded faintly proud.

The Boy wonder nodded silently.

"You heard everything I have said then?"

Another nod.

"Good, Then I don't have to go repeating myself. Report to the Watchtower once you've reached Metropolis"

"Umm…Batman…" Artemis piped in sounding extremely nervous. "When you say Freddy, George and Martin…did you mean Freddy Lantern and George and Martin Hamish?"

"…Yes" Batman nodded grimly.

"Oh…so that means…Swift is..." she trailed off wavering under the Batman's gaze.

"Yes…Swift is Christine Hallows, just as Robin is Dick Grayson…and I am…Bruce Wayne"

The fact that those three kids had vanished along with Christine was already suspicious enough so he saw no point in lying about their connection.

Batman put a hand up and ignoring the astonished look on Superman's face he pulled off the black eared cowl from his head, to reveal the strong jaw, dark head of hair and deep blue eyes of Bruce Wayne.

There were splutters of disbelief from Rocket and Zatanna and Miss Martian and Superboy were both staring bug eyed in astonishment as the ghost of a grin flashed briefly over Robin's face as he peeled off his own domino mask revealing his much lighter blue eyes.

"Wow those are your eyes! Who'd have thought" Kid Flash exclaimed in an overly dramatic voice flinging his hands over his head. Aqualad exchanged a look with Red Arrow and they both rolled their eyes. But unfortunately for them they were spotted.

There was a collective wince from everyone as Artemis shrieked with unrestrained fury.

"YOU KNEW!"

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Corp Enterprises (Metropolis), May 25 2011, 22:56 EDT<strong>

Christine kept a hold onto Freddy's hand as the large express elevator they were in zoomed past ground level and began passing sub level four within the space of a minute.

George's glasses glinted as he made to glance at both girls. His face was calm but his eyes were glinting with worry as he saw the blonde girl behind him shiver and shake with fright.

He turned back to Christine who gave him a small nod of reassurance and shifted herself slightly closer to her friend trying to ignore the presence of the man behind them all.

She could almost feel Deathstroke's gaze drill a hole on the back of her head as he kept a shrewd eye on all four teenagers standing in a huddle before him.

Christine however felt sick as she caught sight of Lex Luthor's reflexion in the metallic door of the lift. He looked positively relaxed, even amused, as if he'd merely invited them all calmly over for a coffee.

He caught sight of Christine's gaze and smirked.

"Is there something wrong my dear?"

"No! And I'm not your _dear_ you snake!"

"Really Christine is that any way to greet your soon to be new stepfather" Luthor replied smoothly.

There was a silence in which the whole world seemed to stand still. Christine gaped at Luthor, her mouth opening and shutting a couple of times as she tried to process what he'd just said.

It was Freddy who broke the silence and her voice was choked with shock.

"Care to repeat that"

"You heard me the first time girl." Luthor snapped at Freddy taking derisive pleasure at Christine's quick flash of anger in his direction as he turned to face her again.

"Yes. Your dear mother and I are now engaged. Just last week in fact. We would've told the press but we thought you should be the first to know"

"I'm flattered" Christine growled "I'm sure you'll both be a match made in hell"

"I understand this is a rather large piece of news to swallow but think about all the positives." Luthor's voice became slick and if possible even smoother than before as he fitted into place his best business manner. "You'll finally have a father again and after the wedding you're mother and I would like you to come and stay with us, here in Metropolis, away from all that filth and grime of Gotham. You'll attend the best schools, reap all the benefits of your hard work when you decide to establish your career and-"

"Become your pretty little puppet?" Christine snapped "Sorry Luthor but I'll pass. I'm happy where I am with my _real_ family in my real _home _thank you very much."

"Pity you should think that" Luthor tutted mockingly his smirk growing as the air around them chilled considerably. An icy fractal appeared beneath her feet and snaked over the ground so that it was twirling around the hems of Luthor's tailored pants.

"Now calm yourself Christine. You wouldn't want something to happen to these nice friends of yours now do you?"

"What do you want with us Mr Luthor?" George asked quickly, cutting across Christine because she looked like she was about to explode with fury at any second.

Martin, who had been silent that entire time, stepped backward so that his heel "accidently" crushed her toes and she winced.

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath as she listened to Luthor's airy reply as he turned to face the front of the lift once more.

"Me? Oh I don't want anything to do with you four. This is merely a favour for a friend of mine."

"The Apprentice?" Christine muttered glancing back at Deathstroke whose eyes narrowed down at her fiercely.

Luthor's face fell as he glanced at her reflection in the elevator door again.

"Yes…"

_What the hell is that?_

She squinted as she caught sight of the tiny glimmer of green in Luthor's brown eyes.

But before she could ponder this little piece of data the lift came to a halt at Sub Level 45.

Christine felt her heart sink even further than before.

Forty five levels under-ground? There was no way any signal for help would reach the surface.

Unbidden, a memory wafted over her mind.

* * *

><p><em>"Now we contact the League" <em>

_"Nothing."_

_"No signal"_

_"We're in too deep" _

_"Literally"_

* * *

><p>Christine felt a painful pang in her chest. That had been the day they'd infiltrated the Washington Cadmus Facility. The day she, Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash had joined forces and fought side by side to free only sixteen week old Conner "Kon El" Clark from the clutches of the now insane monstrous Dr Desmond.<p>

Conner…he'd come so far over the past year. From a temperamental, stubborn and impatient childlike clone into a calm, quiet and awkwardly kind young high school sophomore, he'd grown so much and she, his self-appointed big sister, was so proud of him.

And not just him, she was proud of all of her Team. All had surpassed the milestones expected of them, and even if they hadn't quite graduated from their roles as sidekicks to her they were heroes she was honoured to fight alongside and call her friends.

If only she could've said goodbye…

The doors opened and led by Luthor they all stepped out. They'd arrived in a dark corridor, lined with dark grey metal plating on the walls and lit by bright blue white LED's that ran along the corners of the ceiling.

The floor beneath their feet was tiled with square black glass like material, arranged so that the lights beneath the floor glowed through the cracks between squares illuminating the floor.

Christine's eyes narrowed. She couldn't understand how…but this place felt…familiar…like she'd been here before…

But no that couldn't be right. Christine would've remembered coming to a place like this, especially since it looked like it had come out of a sci-fi movie.

There was silence as Luthor escorted them down the teenagers down the length of the hall, Deathstroke behind them all his hand on his Katana ready to act out if anything should happen.

Christine took a deep breath and brought her hand in front of her body, twisting a ribbon of ice cold wind around it and gripping tight.

She didn't care if her cover was blown, but she was not going to let her or her friends die without a fight.

They turned around another corner, Freddy, Martin and George looking around anxiously as they passed several white doors embedded into the walls on either sides.

Their faces paled as they passed by one particular door towards the end of the corridor. Christine quickened her pace to catch up and chanced a peek through the glass window set in the middle of the metal.

A creature, as large as a car, with strange blue skin, horned hard skin and tentacles was floating inside a large tank filled with an almost clear, slightly green liquid. There were many scientists in white coats bustling around it trying to get readings on their computers as little circular sensors on the animals hide flickered red with each movement of one of the tentacles.

_A Genomorph?_

But Christine couldn't stop to watch anymore. Deathstroke's shadow was passing over her and from his silhouette she could see his hand pulling out the katana on his back slowly…threateningly.

She quickly jogged ahead to join the others as they rounded a corner.

"Weird huh?" Freddy whispered softly as soon as she was level with them "You don't think they're breeding it do you?"

"Dunno" Christine shrugged "But I hope it makes for a good calamari dish"

"And speaking of dish, I could eat a horse" Martin grumbled as a tiny warbling from his gut echoed in the silence of the hallway.

"Wow even in an evil genius's secret labs your stomach doesn't shut up" George muttered adjusting his glasses on his face stiffly. Despite themselves Christine and Freddy both snorted with laughter.

"Food will be provided once we get you to your temporary accommodation" Luthor called loudly and the laughter died out at once, the four teens glaring at him in silent anger.

Trust Luthor to ruin the mood.

* * *

><p><em>Aqualad, Robin's hacked the database but he can't find anything out of the ordinary.<em>

_Then check off books, anything that might be on paper._

_We've checked those too. All forms are legal even if they are confidential. If Luthor is involved with the kidnapping then he's covered his tracks really well_

_Wonderful…_

Aqualad sighed. He was cold and tired. But he had to keep going. Swift was one of his dearest friends as well as his lieutenant and he would not dishonour her loyalty by leaving her to suffer at the hands of someone like Luthor.

He turned his eyes and narrowed them as he looked down the empty hallway. He was standing outside Luthor's office guarding the door and keeping track of everyone's progress through the telepathic link they'd established as per protocol.

So far the team had split up to search different areas of the building. Red Arrow and Robin were currently inside the office. M'gann was scoping out the ventilation shafts using her telepathic abilities to not only keep the Team connected but also to read the minds of the few employees that were staying behind on their night shifts. Superboy, Artemis, Raquel, Kid Flash and Zatanna were currently physically sweeping sets of floors keeping a check on any out of the ordinary night activity.

But so far nothing had presented itself as suspicious. This building was if anything just an ordinary high class establishment of business, nothing more and nothing less.

A heavy depressing weight settled on his mind, though it felt foreign. He felt around using the mental link and his thoughts fell upon Robin who was still in the office with Red Arrow.

In the wake of the kidnapping the Boy Wonder had become uncharacteristically quiet, serious and withdrawn, almost like the sun had vanished from his life. But then, Aqualad reminded himself sympathetically, that was probably what had happened.

His heart sagged as he caught a glimpse of a memory flash over Robins mind.

* * *

><p>Dick couldn't believe what he was seeing. His parents were so still. Their bodies were twisted, limbs sticking out at horribly unnatural angles, interlocking with his aunt's, uncle's and cousin's like a grotesque puzzle, all set within a blood red board.<p>

"Mama…Tati…" he breathed.

Then everything was a blur.

Police sirens and cops all around, yellow tape around the ring. One moment he was being prodded and poked by paramedics, next he was speaking to a man who called himself Commissioner Gordon. Then there was a blanket around his shoulders and he had no idea where it had come from and then he was running. Running away from the social services person that had come to pick him up to take him to juvenile hall.

The circus passed in a haze of colours and lights but all that Dick could see in front of his eyes was a massive black pit, threatening to engulf him whole.

Where could he go? How far could he run? Where would he run to? How could he escape this nightmare?

He spotted a small dock. There! That was his escape! He'd just run onto it when-

"WAIT!"

Someone grabbed his hand. He stumbled to a halt, teetering over the edge of the water before being dragged backwards away.

Through tears of anguish he turned around to look… into a girl's face.

Whether it was from their proximity or not Dick could not tell but unlike the other blurs of faces he'd seen that night, hers was as clear as crystal to his eyes. Large watering purple eyes framed by soft long dark brown hair completed by a pink mouth that was currently trembling as if she were biting back sobs.

Then suddenly she glared at him.

"What are you doing? You do know there's deep water under there! You could've drowned!"

"I-I…" he spluttered. "I knew that?"

"Obviously not or else you wouldn't have gone there!" she narrowed her eyes. "What were you thinking?"

Dick blinked. She was an absolute stranger, why was _she_ worrying about _him_?

"I-I don't know. I-I" As he opened and closed his mouth to speak her face suddenly turned into a mask of worry.

"Are you hurt?" she began to pat his bare shoulders down as if checking for injuries.

"No" he muttered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes"

She looked him dead on in the eye as if checking if he was lying. Finally after a couple of minutes of staring at each other she finally opened his mouth to speak.

"Why were you running?"

"They were gonna make me go to juvie" Dick looked at his feet with bitter anger.

"What makes you say that?" The girl's expression relaxed ever so slightly as she grabbed him by the hand and pulled him away from the dock.

Dick couldn't help but notice just how soft her hand over his was as the girl steered him back towards the circus heading back for the big top. He felt his heart sink as he caught sight of the police car's headlights.

"Not many people are fond of us... _circus people_" he spat out the term bitterly, glaring down at the dirt beneath his moving feet "no normal person would take a kid like me in, unless they were crazy"

"Well if that's the case then my Dad and I must be absolutely insane"

Dick looked up and saw to his amazement the girl was smiling warmly back at him, though there was he could see if he looked hard enough the slightest bit of sadness in the depths of those purple irises.

"He's offered to take you in until the government people and the police figure something out" She squeezed his hand.

"So I don't have to go to Juvie? Or a group home?" Dick breathed.

"No, you don't" she gave his hand a soft squeeze. "You get to come home with us"

He stared at her, in dumbfound shock. He was not going to the Juvenile Hall, he wasn't going to a group home. He couldn't believe his luck.

The girl's smile softened and Dick noticed that in this light her chocolaty highlights created a glistening halo around the top of her head.

"Are you an angel?" he wondered out loud.

"Huh?" She blinked as Dick clapped a hand over his mouth cursing himself in his head.

"I-I said…uh…what's your name?" He swallowed and shut his gaping mouth, thanking his stars that she hadn't heard him the first time round.

"It's Christine" She bit her lip as she blushed shyly at him though he wasn't sure why "Christine Evelyn Hallows"

* * *

><p><em>Wow…<em>

Robin jumped as he heard Kid Flash's voice in his head.

_Crap did I just-_

_Yes!_

Everyone said loudly.

_That was really sweet! _

Miss Martian's voice was soft and warm with affection.

_So was that the first time you two lovebirds met?_

They could almost hear Zatanna's grin in her voice.

_…__Yes…it was…_

Besides Red Arrow, no one could actually see the boy wonder's face but nonetheless they could tell by his groan that he was blushing.

Aqualad allowed himself a small chuckle.

_There is nothing to be embarrassed about Robin_. _That was a wonderful memory_

_More like a really cute memory! Did you see how tiny they both were?_

Rocket squealed.

_They were ten of course they were midgets…still are in fact…_

Red Arrow smirked smugly as Robin cried out

_HEY!_

Everyone snorted with laughter just as the floor beneath their feet began to tremble.

* * *

><p>Christine, Freddy, Martin and George all struggled hard against the straps that currently held them on top of cold hard metal slabs. As they did many masked figures in surgical scrubs moved around each of them, monitoring on screens the signals being received from small dark blue circular patches on certain different points along their now half naked bodies.<p>

Currently the screens were showing a particular wavelength from their brains which seemed to be spiking upwards, exponentially growing with each passing second.

There was a particularly violent spike when Christine's body jerked, jets of ice bursting from her fingertips, unrestrained and wild. One rather sharp shard in particular flew through the air and hit the metal wall, embedding itself in there deep and fast like an arrow to a target.

"Incredible isn't it?"

Luthor said from his vantage point behind a glass window in a separate room. Deathstroke stood with him his eyes narrowing as they passed over each teenagers writhing forms.

"What the power of nature, or the fact that four teenagers have been charged to possess it?"

"Both...though I have to admit-"

But Luthor didn't get to admit anything. Freddy's hands had curled into fists and before anyone could stop her she suddenly let loose a roar of pain and anger. The sound was so loud and so powerful that the entire room began to shake.

Medical instruments and tools clattered to the floor as did the scientist who were all scrambling for cover as the deep sound continued on and on and on. Never ceasing to stop.

"The sedative!" Luthor yelled across the glass to the scientists as loudly as he could

"GIVE HER THE SEDATIVE NOW!"

The scientists in the room all scurried as fast as they could around the shaking room which seemed to have gotten steadily worse as more and more objects fell and splintered to the ground.

Finally one brave woman managed to hobble her way over to Freddy's still bellowing form and jabbed the needle into her neck, quickly dispelling its clear contents into her system.

It took a couple of moments for Freddy's yell to die in her throat and it was only when her eyes rolled back into her head and her body became limp did it completely vanish into thin air.

* * *

><p><em>Uh guys…is it just me or is everything shaking?<em> Artemis asked nervously as the trembling began to turn in to actual full on tremors.

Everybody quickly scrambled for something to hold onto as the ground continued to shake for a good whole minute…before quickly dying down to nothing.

_Well that's strange… Metropolis lies on fairly neutral ground geographically._

Kid Flash sounded suspicious but not as much as Conner who quickly piped in.

_That quake… it came from somewhere underground…from right beneath us..._

_You think Luthor might have something nasty down there in his basement?_

Artemis snorted, but no one laughed.

Aqualad stepped forwards as Robin and Red Arrow exited Luthor's office.

_If he does I suggest we go and investigate. If we can find a way to get down to it?_

_Leave that to me._

Robin smirked rushing down the hall and sliding smoothly in front of the lift. He ran a scan on the outer doors with his holo-computer frowning slightly.

_Yep there is a basement. This is a high speed express Elevator._

_Like the one at Cadmus?_

_Exactly like the one at Cadmus! _The boy wonder confirmed his eyes narrowing as he remembered all too well their episode with Dr Desmond.

Kid Flash could remember it too and he shuddered. Aqualad however remained stoic and calm.

_Everyone rendezvous in the lobby by the other lifts. We'll come and collect you on the way down._

_Right!_

* * *

><p>YAY! Chapter 2 is up. sorrz about the issues before :P but all is now well :) YAY!<p>

So the team is closer to finding Swift and her friends...but just what is happening to them?

Keep R&Ring and you'll find out next time ;)

Till then ciao!


	4. Episode 3

**Episode 3: Crawl**

**Lex Corp Enterprises (Metropolis), May 25 2011, 23:52 EDT**

_Is everyone on their way?_

Robin called through the mental link as he, Aqualad and Red Arrow made their way down in the cold large elevator.

_Yes. Plus I contacted Batman in the Batwing so he and Superman are on their way. They should be here in time to meet us in the lobby_

Miss Martian confirmed.

_Good, because if anyone's gonna be able to get any decent answers out of Luthor it will be one of them_

Red Arrow shared a nod of approval with Aqualad who quickly put a hand up to his ear com.

"Aqualad here…yes…yes…yes…of course Batman. Aqualad out"

_What did he say?_ Red Arrow quirked an eyebrow at the Atlantian Boy who sighed as he tapped his com link off.

_We are to meet by the elevators in the lobby but are to wait until Superman and Batman arrive. Apparently they have a plan for us_

_Knowing Batman he probably has several plans already, and most of them will be back-ups for the first two._

The white slits in Robin's eyes narrowed as the elevator began to grind to a stop.

He could only hope that one of those plans would actually work.

* * *

><p>Her eyes were covered with a dark binding much like the rest of her body as she lay down on a large padded slab. She could feel the hard cold slab against her mostly bare back as she lay, her plain white cotton underwear and bra the only garments clothing her form at the moment. However it didn't feel too uncomfortable as the air around her was quite pleasant in terms of temperature.<p>

_Click!_

Christine Evelyn Hallows knew the sounds of lock's being clicked open so well and yet it didn't stop the shiver of terror that seeped through her body as a blast of warm air briefly hit her face.

"Who's there?" She asked but then paused. The sound was strangely muffled behind something over her mouth. A muzzle? No it was plastic and it was covering her nose too…a respirator?

There was a deep chuckle a little way away.

There was another click as the door shut and the room immediately dropped back to its normal temperature, much to her relief.

_Thump. Thump. Thump_.

"Who's there?" she repeated herself her voice gaining strength as she strained her ears to hear the sounds made by her guest. Most movements were muffled by some thick material if the sound was anything to go by.

_But it's not that cold in here is it?_

But before she could dwell on the subject something warm and leathery stroked gently up her jaw stroking away her hair from her face.

Her body jerked against her restraints as she tried in vain to wriggle away from the owner of the gloved hand who's deep voice tutted her.

"Now, now don't be like that. You know how I dislike having to see you like this."

"Do-Do I know you?" Christine breathed through gritted teeth trying with all her might to concentrate on the winds around her. She could see in her mind's eye loads of ice blue ribbons but in the centre of them was a large black shadow that looked to be in the shape of a human, who was now leaning over her body as it lay on the slab.

"Know me?" The voice sounded a little strained.

"I should've guessed as much..." they muttered quietly "it's been a long time since we last met… But no matter"

She felt the scraping of smooth soft, material pull away from her face as the blindfold over her eyes was effortlessly discarded.

"Easy there. The light down here is pretty bright and they've kept this thing on you for a while, your eyes might need time to adjust" the voice chuckled as she winced.

A bright light was shining down above her from the ceiling…but it was covered in a strange white crystalline something.

She squinted and distinctly saw something sharp and spiky stick down from the ceiling corner to her right.

_Ice…but…how…_

She turned her head to look around herself and her eyes widened.

She seemed to be lying in what once must have been a grey square metallic medical room, with many computerised medical equipment surrounding her slab. But now everything was covered in glittering hard crystalized ice. It clung to every chair, to every wall, even support beams on the roof was sporting a few icy stalactites.

"Amazing isn't it?"

Her eyes snapped at once to look to her left where a man seemed to be standing. He was garbed in a black kelvar suit that had a hood that was draped over his head. She tried to look up into his face only to see a silver metal mask that had been designed to look like an bird's skull with swirls ever so delicately engraved over the surface. To make matters even more difficult for Christine the man's head was bowed so she that whatever features the mask was not hiding, like his eyes, were cloaked in the dark shadow cast by his hood.

"You alright? You look a bit pale?" the skull tilted over slightly as it took in Christine's startled look on her face.

There were a couple of moments of silence then –

"Ahh… It's the skull isn't it" the man nodded in understanding as he looked himself over "And the black… I know. It probably makes me look like death reincarnate"

"And are you?" Christine asked more curious than shrewd.

He chuckled.

"No…I am Aquila…like the Eagle that-"

"-that carried Zeus's thunderbolts up to Mount Olympus" Christine quirked an eyebrow up at him.

"It's also a constellation in the northern sky" the man, Aquila, nodded.

"I know" Christine finished, her eyes flickering away quickly.

"I know you do" Aquila murmured softly.

"…How?" Christine leaned her head up.

Aquila's mask turned to look down on her as a black gloved hand returned to trace delicately over her brow and down her cheek. His hands were so gentle but they weren't in any way threatening. In fact their touch was rather comforting… in a strange way…

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that now"

"Then what can you tell me?"

"That after I free you from this bench you've only got two minutes to get out of this room and down that corridor left ways before Luthor comes to take you away"

"W-What?" Christine spluttered as Aquila's hands began to tear off the bindings around her body at top speed.

"Just get up, you don't have much time! Use your flying if you have to" he pulled her up sharply just after he finished untying the last bond around her left ankle.

Christine shook out her head to clear it as she was momentarily disoriented, but quickly scrambled into the air just as her liberator hissed

"Go now!"

She flew out the room to arrive in a metallic corridor bare and barren save for that one door to the room she was in. She turned to face her left and found…

A dead end…

There was the faint murmuring of people and she turned to face the opposite direction from which the sounds of many footsteps were hurrying towards her direction. They were pretty far off but if she waited around any longer her window of opportunity would be gone.

She turned back to the dead end in front of her and as she looked up she saw the grate to a ventilation shaft.

She squealed inside her head with delight as she carefully pulled out the metal bars, trying her best not to make a sound. The footsteps were not far now, and she didn't need an excuse to make them hurry up any further.

She quickly crawled through and fitted in the grate just as the first silhouette of a person's shadow appeared on the wall of the corner on the other end of the corridor.

She silently crawled backwards away from the grate just far enough to turn a corner and sit for a moment as she listened to what was going on outside.

She could hear the clack of cleanly polished business shoes and the soft thumping of slightly heavy boots against the cold sterile ground.

"The girl and her friends are being kept under the most advanced security we've got" Lex Luthor sounded rather smug. "They shouldn't be even able to move an inch without us knowing"

"I should hope so Luthor" Came a strange deep voice of a man that whilst calm, seemed to hold great power and authority. "Such cases like these are not to be taken lightly."

_So this must be him…The Apprentice…_

She could hear the door to her old room creak open and she had to clap a hand over her mouth.

Oh god! Aquila! He was probably still in there!

She strained her ears to listen intently as a deafening silence penetrated the shaft.

"Care to explain yourself…_ Luthor_" the Apprentice's voice was deadly quiet and yet there was something about the tone that made Christine shiver, as if large spiders were crawling all over her body.

"I-I-I-" Luthor spluttered. Her eyes widened she'd never heard the man sound so scared before in her life "I don't understand…the equipment was supposed to suppress her powers…n-not increase them"

"hmmm" The Apprentice growled and stepped out of the room. Christine froze in shock as she heard his footsteps approach closer to her left.

Then there was the grating of metal.

She clapped a hand over her mouth willing herself with all her might to silence her breaths, as the ventilation shaft around her vibrated in response to the heavy crawling of someone close by.

_Holy Hell! Holy Hell! Holy Hell!_

Christine pursed her lips tight to hold back the air that was desperate to leave her just as someone came up to her corner.

_Thump! Thump! Thump!_

She almost thought her heart would stop when she saw a white gloved hand crawl into view from around her corner.

"MR LUTHOR!" A voice yelled shrilly. The person's body froze mid crawl, the top of their head just inches away from being level with the corner.

"Mr Luthor! The other kids! They're gone all three of them!" the person outside panted.

The white glove retreated and Christine shut her eyes in relief as she heard the person crawl away and jump out of the shaft just as Luthor snapped.

"Gone! What do you mean gone? WHERE DID THEY GO?!"

"Somewhere as far away from you as possible"

Christine felt her eyes water at the sound of that deep familiar growl.

_Holy Lord Almighty if you are up there in heaven I love you!_

She felt a tear of relief slide down her cheek as another familiar voice spoke up.

"You and your new friend" Superman's voice sounded wary and she prayed to herself silently that he was using his X-ray vision to look for her in the walls.

"Finally…after all this time in the shadows I get to meet the World's Finest" The Apprentice sounded maliciously intrigued. "Both the last sons of their bloodlines, both powerful leaders…but underneath all that you're still both just mortal men. Doomed to die like the rest of the pathetic race you defend. Tell me Batman. Why is it that for a strong man so full of such stimulating revenge, you voluntarily chain yourself to a pitiful excuse for a code of honour?"

"Killing is the easy way out of things" Christine could almost see in her head Batman stiffen in his spot. "And what is the easy …is not necessarily right"

"Spoken like a true warrior" The Apprentice's voice sounded rather impressed, though there still was an edge to it that rooted Christine to her spot where she sat. "If only you were so astute with the safety of your daughter"

There was a small scuffling of material and Superman's voice hissed softly.

"No Batman!"

Christine felt something prod at her shoulder lightly, like a finger and jumped. A hand that was not hers clapped over her mouth as a green skinned, red haired young woman in a black suit with a red X over her chest rematerialized out of thin air her face spilt in a wide grin.

_Hey there Girl Wonder_

_M'gann!_

Christine flung her arms around Miss Martian and held her tight to her.

The Martian girl sighed quietly under her breath in relief.

_Guys…I got her…she's ok_

Christine smiled as she heard her teammates and Superman and Batman collectively sigh in relief through the mental link, at least until Miss Martian decided to add.

_Well…mostly ok…_

Miss Martian bit her lip and quickly tugged on a lock of Christine's hair as they pulled apart from each other.

Christine looked down. It was completely white. And not just white but silvery white, like freshly fallen snow.

_OH my god! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY HAIR!_

_Never mind that for now. _

Batman's voice called over the mental link, and Christine felt a hint of affection underlying the growl.

_Miss Martian take Christine use the shaft's to get back to the elevator and then take it up to the surface to rendezvous with the Team at the Bio-ship. _

_But Dad what about you?_ Christine bit her lip nervously as she looked around the corner to see the grate.

_Superman and I will figure something out. What you need to worry about is getting back to safety. If we don't come out after five minutes after the regroup you are to leave and go back to the cave you understand?_

_…Yes Batman…_

Miss Martian replied her voice hesitant and heavy.

Christine stayed silent for a moment her eyes wide. Leave her Dad behind in this place? What if Luthor trapped him? What if he needed the team's help? They were so deep underground that their com units would not reach the surface. What if something happened to him? They'd never know if he was alright.

_Dad -_

_Christine I will follow you out as soon as I can… I promise._

_…try not to get too badly hurt…or else Alfred will chew both our ears off_

She sniffed quietly scrubbing at her eyes as Batman mentally smirked.

_I'll try, now go._

Christine nodded as she felt Miss Martian's hand clasp over hers and felt a wave of positive emotions that weren't hers wash over her.

_They'll be alright. Come on…let's get out of here._

Christine slowly made her way back onto all fours and began to crawl away as silently as she could, following Miss Martian as they turned a corner.

_How did you guys find me?_

She asked over the link and was pleased to hear Robin's voice answer her first. It was warm with affection and as amazingly light hearted as she could remember it.

_I hacked into Batman's account and monitored all his scans as he did a search for you. _

_And they showed my location?_

Christine felt confused. No…that couldn't be right. Her belt had been taken off during the helicopter flight by Deathstroke as had hers Freddy's and Martin's cell phones. And if Luthor was smart, George obviously didn't have any form of contact available to him when they met him on the helicopter pad. So how could they have possibly been located?

Aqualad seemed to sense her confusion and answered her unasked question.

_No they didn't. In fact we could not find hide nor hair of you on the scans. It was your butler Alfred that unearthed the first clue._

_Yeah when George here went missing apparently there was this huge electrical blackout around Gotham city. No one could access or operate any electrical item for a full half hour._

Kid Flash grunted. It seemed as if he was trying to think whilst trying to concentrate on something strenuous.

_Just like when the bus was stopped_

Christine almost laughed when she heard the voice one of the twins in her head. She guessed it was George, as his voice was always a little mellower than his brother's.

_So…_

She prompted as she and Miss Martian turned another corner.

_So from that discovery,_

Freddy's voice joined in the conversation, her thoughts all giddy with excitement.

_ The B-Man was able to figure out that the guys that kidnapped us had used one of Luthor's new EMP Amplifiers-_

_-And since the kidnappers were using his product, Batman got us-_ Robin began.

_- to come to Lex Corp to break into Luthor's office- _ Christine continued.

_-and hack his files for signs of suspicious looking business transactions!_

Robin finished off for her and the Team and her school friends all sighed. Then there was a pause.

_Whoa seriously? They do this to you guys too?_

Martin chortled.

_Oh yeah… _

Artemis groaned.

_And let me guess they do it for five minutes at a time?_

George too sounded amused.

_No not always…once we had them timed for ten minutes_

Red Arrow snorted as and Christine rolled her eyes

_Oh Red, you're just jealous because you don't have a partner to finish your sentences for you!_

_Or a girlfriend for that matter_

Robin added sniggering.

_Hey watch it pipsqueaks!_

Red Arrow hissed, but the tone was more playful than scathing.

Aqualad chuckled softly in amusement.

_That's enough you guys, let's not get too distracted now. Freddy, Robin, Red Arrow and I have reached the elevator. What are your positions?_

_Christine and I are almost there and we should be meeting Conner right now_

Miss Martian smiled as at that moment the large form of the super clone poked his head out from around a corner. His face split into a wide grin as he caught sight of Christine who scrambled over to hug him tight at once.

They let go just as Rocket's voice called over the mental link.

_Zee and I have got Martin …we're close but we might need help getting him inside the lift. His ankle got bunged up pretty badly._

_It's just a sprain, I'll be fine I've had worse._

_Yeah you sure have. But still take it easy ok._ Christine winced as she felt the stab of discomfort and pain through the link.

_Yeah you don't wanna stress out the limb too much or else it'll take more time to heal. _Kid Flash agreed sympathetically before quickly adding sarcastically

_Oh yeah and if anyone's interested, George, Arty and me are TOTALLY fine!_

_Save the attitude Kid and just focus on getting out!_

Christine said firmly only for the speedster to grumble.

_Barely is back for two minutes and already she's-_

_Dude if you want to live I suggest you keep your mouth shut!_

Freddy suggested quickly as she felt Christine's throb of irritation, though it quickly disintegrated when she saw Superboy, who had been crawling in front of both Miss Martian and her, pull out a grate from in front of him.

He quickly slipped out of the ventilation shaft and fell down a little until he landed on something solid and metal. Then there was a crack, and a soft yellow light blazed in front of her eyes.

"Come on" he called out loud as Miss Martian slipped herself smoothly outside.

Christine crawled forwards nervously and looked down. They seemed to have arrived in a deep square shaped space at the end of a ridiculously high drop.

She gulped as she looked up and saw the thick dark cables reach up into nothing but empty blackness above.

_Christ! Just how far underground are we?_

_More than six feet that's for sure_

She looked back down and saw Superboy walk towards her as Miss Martian quickly used her telekinesis to open up a small hatch in the top of the elevator.

As carefully as she could, Christine slid herself down out of the shaft and into Superboy's arms, which jolted as soon as both their skins made contact.

"Woah, you're really cold" his eyes widened with astonishment as he quickly set her down firmly.

"What? No I'm not" Christine tilted her head to the side in confusion. She may have been in her underwear now but if anything she felt really warm, almost as if she were on a beach in a bikini.

But Superboy shook his head, his face a mask of worry.

"Yes. You're freezing. Here take this"

"Hey wait-" but already he was shoving his large black shirt over her body.

"Conner" she grumbled, her head popping through the hole for the collar as Superboy took her hand and dragged her towards the now open hatch that led down into the elevator.

He quickly hopped down inside and she followed landing awkwardly on one ankle and toppling sideways.

"OW!" Christine and a young man with auburn hair, a black domino mask and a red and black sleeveless suit crashed sideways into the smooth metal wall, only to yelp as the former quickly jumped off the latter.

"Jesus Christ Chris what did they put you in a freezer!" Red Arrow shivered uncontrollably as he tried to stand back up.

Christine held onto herself rubbing her hands up and down her arms in a soothing action as she struggled to her feet. Simply being in contact with Red Arrow's body had felt like touching an open flame. Indeed the spots where her skin had touched his were already a little red.

She felt the body heat of someone else approaching her and turned, only to come face to face with Robin who was looking very worried.

"I'm fine Dick…" she muttered "I just need to…I'm just-"

But she was spared any explanation when someone hopped through the ceiling hatch and down into the elevator.

It was Kid Flash and he was grinning wide was quickly followed by Artemis and a boy in plain black swimming trunks.

His skin was pale but not in the same way a Caucasian skin tone was. In fact, it was a very pale blue with strange and shimmering white speckles all over the back of his body that crept up the sides and just over his shoulders and matched his short mop of hair.

Her eyes widened as she caught sight of him using his strangely webbed hands to reassemble a pair of rather familiar and battered round glasses over his eyes.

"George?"

George looked up and Christine gasped.

His eyes were no longer their usual green shade, but a vibrant light aqua, more vivid than any Tourmaline stone.

There was a cough behind them and they both turned to see Freddy standing timidly behind them.

Like her two friends, Freddy's curly once gorgeous golden blonde hair had turned a shimmering white. Her skin had turned sun-kissed, covered like Christine's in only her underwear, though hers was remarkably mismatched with a green bottom and pink bra. Her eyes irises were brighter than before, with their chrome now resting at a beautiful deep golden honey tone. She gave her friend's a sheepish grin as she carefully held up her hands.

There was a faint zapping and buzzing sound as everyone caught sight of the small sparks of electricity sparking off at the girl's fingertips.

"Before you say anything…" Aqualad spoke calmly as Christine opened her mouth to speak "you should probably take a look at yourself"

She gulped nervously as Robin nervously stood to the side to give her a view of the reflective mirror like wall of the elevator.

Her skin was chalk white like her hair and stood out starkly against the dark metallic surface like a sore thumb, making her purple irises seem to pop. She almost sighed with relief at the sight of them just the same as before. Even though it wasn't by any human standards, natural, she had always loved the fact that her eyes were her favourite colour. She felt it made her unique.

_Well unique's one way of thinking about it…_

She mused as she caught sight of something on her back. She turned round, straining her head around to look down on the reflection of her back on which there was something imprinted tattoo like across the skin.

It was a dark purple and spanned across her back like a pair of wings. There three strokes each side, tilted diagonally so that the tips of the first top strokes brushed against her shoulders. To complete it there seemed to be a strange snowflake in the centre of both wings holding them together.

"Whoa! Cool"

Everyone looked up just in time to see Rocket float through the hatch with Zatanna who seemed to be concentrating heavily on something that was coming down into the elevator behind them.

Everyone's jaws dropped.

A boy was floating a small levitating platform of magic. His skin would have seemed normal if it hadn't been for the black flame like marks that licked up his arms and legs, and his eyes were green with strange inner circles of bright fiery yellow and orange around the pupil.

But what got to Christine most was the hair… it was white like hers, Freddy's and Martin's…but it was on fire!

"Chris!" Robin called as

She felt her vision begin to spin horribly as the world suddenly tilted upwards so that she caught a glimpse of the ceiling before her vision turned black.

* * *

><p><strong>Mount Justice, May 26 2011, 04:09 EDT<strong>

_Everything around her was bright. Bright but cold._

_The air tasted sterile and air conditioned. It made her throat itch._

_She tried to speak but the only thing that came out was a high pitched whimper. _

_Something heavy fell to the ground somewhere and she whimpered louder. _

_She felt frightened. She needed to get up. She needed to escape._

_She attempted to turn around onto her stomach so that she could push herself up onto her feet._

_But her body did not seem to respond properly and instead she only writhed and wriggled, her legs kicking out wildly against some material that had been bundled around them._

_She winced at the loud sound of metal being hit and shut her eyes tight._

_Maybe if she kept them closed the horrible thing that was coming for her would go away._

_Through her closed eyelids she saw the light from above be blotted out by something dark and shadowy._

_She tried to keep her eyes shut but her curiosity got the better of her and slowly the lids opened._

_Something humungous and all in black like a shadow was standing over her. _

_A dark shadow, with strange wide white eyes and dark horn like things on top of his head. She tilted her head to the side as she caught sight of the rough strong jaw of a man which seemed to be half open with shock._

_She tilted her head even more as he sighed and muttered under his breath._

_"Three, two, one"_

_She smiled at him. She couldn't help it. The shadow man sounded so funny with his deep dark growl._

_She reached up towards him wondering if it would make him speak more in that funny voice._

_He looked down on her in return; even more shocked than before as her tiny fingers grasped at him._

_She began to struggle again when she realised that he wasn't responding. Why was it so hard to move by herself?_

_She was relieved when his great big darkly clad arms reached down and wrapped around her and her smile widened as she was brought close to a large warm chest._

_She stiffened as she caught sight of something coming towards her face. But it was only the man's finger._

_She quickly grabbed at it, marvelling at how large it was in comparison to her fingers, which were way smaller in comparison. Indeed her own hand could barely wrap around one of his single digits._

_She looked up at him with amazement and saw the white slits of his eyes soften slightly as a small smile quirked on his thin lips._

_She let go of his finger which immediately went to trace around her cheeks and leant her head towards his chest._

_Thump-thump. Thump-thump._

_The man's heart was robust and strong but at the same time gentle…almost like his hands. _

_She couldn't explain why, but this stranger somehow felt…safe…_

_She felt her excited breaths calm down quickly and she yawned, her body suddenly feeling heavy as the weight of anxiety lifted completely from her._

_She heard his gruff voice speak softly above her but her eyes had already slid shut as she slipped into a warm and wonderful darkness_

* * *

><p>Christine opened her eyes slowly. Her body felt very heavy, almost like lead and it took a while for her eyes to come back into focus all the while thinking about what she'd just seen in her vision.<p>

Batman…and herself as a baby…

But why would Batman be there when she was a baby? She had not met Bruce until she was around four to five years old, when her father had first brought her over to Gotham.

_I've been kidnapped and held captive under stressful circumstances…If anything it was just a dream and nothing more…_

She sighed as her vision finally cleared up completely and she could see the ceiling in sharp detail. It barely took her a second of looking to realise that she was in a room at the cave. Dick's room to be precise, if the cobalt blue sheets around her were any indication. He always did like the colour, even if his uniform said otherwise.

She smiled as she turned her head to the side and caught sight of the Boy Wonder sitting beside her on the mattress dressed in his Robin uniform but without any mask to cover his bright eyes.

"Hey" he smiled softly.

"Hey yourself" she murmured reaching up to stroke his black cowlicks down, even though she knew it wouldn't really make a difference. His hair was so thick and unruly that even the strongest hairsprays and gels barely managed to keep it in check.

She trailed her hand to cup his cheek, feeling relieved when his body heat didn't burn at her skin like how it had done earlier.

He leaned into her touch and sighed.

"You're still feeling really cold"

"Oh…sorry" Christine began to tug her hand away but he grabbed it quickly and held it in place.

"Don't be…it feels nice…"

Christine's eyes widened as she noticed for the first time that his nose was red and his eyes were puffy.

"Oh god don't tell me you've not slept at all" She sat up at once and leant forwards to put her other hand on his forehead.

He was really warm.

"It was just for last night" he mumbled.

"No Dick, you and I both know you don't get sick with one all-nighter? How many?"

"It was just a few hours-" but she narrowed her eyes at him even more.

"How many!"

"OK! OK! It was three nights! And I only did it because I was worried about you!" he pouted grumpily folding his arms.

Christine stared at him before sighing heavily.

"Get in the bed" Christine growled scooting over in her spot to make room for him.

"P-pardon?" Dick spluttered staring at her bewilderedly she patted the mattress and glowered.

"You heard me the first time doofus! Now get in! It's getting cold!" she rolled her eyes and flumped back into the bed with her back towards him.

She couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face when she felt the covers shift around her.

"Christine" Dick whispered softly as he nuzzled his head into her hair.

"Yeah?" she mumbled shutting her eyes.

"Don't go on anymore camps again"

"Don't worry…I won't" Christine giggled as she felt his arms wrap around her middle and pull her close to kiss her on the side of the head.

* * *

><p><strong>Mount Justice, May 26 2011, 09:32 EDT<strong>

"GUYS! GUYS! WAKE UP!"

Christine winced as Dick's grip tightened painfully in surprise around her body as someone crashed through their door.

"Seriously does anybody in this place know the concept of sleep!" she groaned in frustration as she sat up in bed. Dick stirred but refused to move, he was too comfortable and too tired to get up from his spot.

Christine sighed as she checked his alarm clock.

_Dammit only five hours_

She turned to glare at the doorway, only to see Freddy, her newly white curly hair all frazzled and wild like her golden eyes, she looked positively terrified.

Christine quickly rolled out of bed and onto her feet.

Dick sat up groggily in bed and watched irritably as his girlfriend ran over to her friend and took her hands in hers.

"Freddy what's wrong? what happened?" Christine asked. If this was a reaction to her appearance it was very much delayed.

But Freddy shook her head her eyes welling up with tears.

"Chrissy…Chrissy it's Superman…" she blubbered "he's come back but Batman's not with him"

"What?!" Dick's eyes widened as he too shot out of bed and towards the two girls.

"Where is he?" he asked sharply.

"Sitting in the common room. He's really shaken up" Freddy wiped at her eyes trying hard to keep her sniffles in check.

Christine and Dick exchanged worried looks before dashing out of the room, the former tugging Freddy behind with her.

They all skid into the common room, in which the entire team, Martin and George were all standing in their night wear with Red Tornado and Wolf, around a very bruised, very battered and very shell shocked Superman.

He looked up at the three new arrivals and his face paled.

Christine's heart stopped in her chest when she saw the large cut over his brow that gushed profusely, smearing his skin with deep red blood.

"Clark…" she breathed.

"He's got him…" Superman's voice was quiet and hollow.

"The Apprentice got Bruce…"

* * *

><p>MUAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAAHAAAA! The power of authorship is so fantastic! I could rule the world! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHA!<p>

*suddenly sees the readers* ahem sorry about that, I think my inner author is just a bit too excited to be back in the game for this saga :)

That being said I am quite enjoying making up the storyline here and I can't wait for the future chapters, because I get to write more of the Apprentice.

I hope you liked my new OC's, Freddy, Martin, George and Aquila they're still pretty new and works in progress.

Speaking of progress what do you think of Christine's new transformation? like it? dislike it? any **constructive **feedback would be very much appreciated. :)

See you next time and keep R&Ring for more.


	5. Episode 4

**Episode 4: Demigration**

**?, May 27 2011, 11:58 EDT**

Bruce Wayne had been through many rough…interrogations…in his career as the hero Batman, but none could compare to the brutality or pain that was currently coursing through his body as something thin but hard slashed over his back, tearing off a strip of flesh.

He grunted, gritting his teeth as he tried to crane his head backwards in order to see his offender. But from his spot on the ground on his knees with his arms raised up and to the sides by long iron chains it was difficult to get anything but a mere glimpse of a dark glove in the darkness.

"Give up yet?" a voice hissed in the darkness.

"no"

There was a loud swift crack followed by a cry of pain as a sliver of flesh was torn into by a long whip.

"You know I'm rather impressed with you. Not many people have lasted as long as you have. By now most would be begging me to stop" the voice from before murmured again.

"And did you?"

"…No…"

Another crack another slice of pain. Bruce gritted his teeth his hands balling into such tight fists that his nails dug into his palms puncturing the skin.

"How does it feel Mr Wayne…to be alone in the darkness…to be exposed,"

Bruce's body stiffened when he felt the cold tip of a finger trace down his back delicately.

"Vulnerable…"

He couldn't suppress the shudder as he felt the sharp nails graze his spinal cord.

"With nothing to cloak your pain-"

A pair of lips came close to the back of his neck.

"or your cares"

It was no more than a whisper and yet it made his blood in his veins freeze.

"Oh yes. You are definitely worth my while with Mr Wayne…but not nearly as fun as it would be to play with your little swiftlet"

"Go to hell" Bruce growled as he struggled against his bonds as he attempted to move away from the form behind him which leant in even further so that it could breathe into his ear, their lips hovering tantalisingly close over the lobe.

"Already been there"

* * *

><p><strong>Mount Justice, May 27 2011, 12:39 EDT<strong>

**_Recognised Green Arrow 0-8, Black Canary 1-3, Alfred Pennyworth A-0-6, Ludwig Lantern A-0-7, Jaqueline Lantern A-0-8, Emily Lantern A-0-9, Samson Hamish A-1-0, Moira Hamish A-1-1_**

The Team and their three new guests looked up from their musings as all five of the adults walked into the main hall of the cave, led by the two super heroes who quickly strode up to the team.

"The rest of the Mentors are on their way" Green Arrow quickly muttered to Aqualad who nodded stiffly just as Black Canary looked over them all, her eyes finally resting on Swift and the three newly transformed teens.

"Is everyone alright?"

"We're all right" Artemis nodded before adding quietly "Superman's the one who really needs help at the moment"

"Where is he?" Green Arrow asked them all quietly.

"In the showers, trying to calm himself down"

Swift smiled tremulously as she caught sight of Freddy gaping openly at the blonde bombshell heroin before she was swept up in the embrace of her mother.

Jaqueline Lantern was by all means the spitting image of her daughter…well of her daughter before her transformation that was, what with her curly blonde hair and slender clothes horse body which was now currently sporting a plain pair of jeans and a black cardigan over a simple white top. However unlike her daughter her eyes were a clear greyish blue colour. Freddy's father on the other hand, Ludwig Lantern, was slightly round with a kindly face and his brown hair was balding a little on the top of his head, his brown eyes sparkling with happiness as he stood to the side dressed in a blue exercise tracksuit carrying a little baby carrier in his arms filled with something wriggling in the pink blankets.

"Daddy! Emmy!" Freddy ran over to her hug her father and her baby sister whom she took into her arms immediately and held close to her. Little Emily squealed with delight as her big sister peppered little kisses all over her chubby face.

George and Martin meanwhile were trying to console their almost hysterical mother Moira. She looked a lot like her boys had done before; what with her mousy brown hair and complexion, but unlike them she was smaller in height.

"Oh my babies I'm so sorry" she blubbered as she stroked her hands over Georges white speckled pale blue shoulders.

"Mum we're fine" George pouted trying to look to his twin for help. But none came. Martin was currently fiddling with his fingers as his father Samson Hamish; a tall black haired man of partial Hispanic descent in a business suit looked down on him sternly, though one could make out his bright green eyes were slightly over bright as he looked into the yellow and orange ring around the centre of his sons eyes.

Swift frowned a little at this. Samson didn't seem angry or shocked at the transformation only…

But she didn't have time to mull over her thoughts as someone finally made his way over to her and Robin. His old face was pale but he looked mostly relieved to see them both.

"Alfred" she gave a tremulous smile a tear dribbling down her cheek.

"Welcome back young miss" Alfred sighed and quickly took out from his jacket pocket a handkerchief which he quickly used to gently wipe at her streaming nose. "I'm glad to see that you're looking…well…"

He trailed off as he examined the girl wonder closely.

Her new white hair and skin really stood out starkly against the black and deep purple of her suit but it all suited her look. Indeed with the domino mask over her eyes it rather made her look more mysterious than her mentor.

"Alfie" Robin muttered quietly because both sets of parents close by were eyeing them with curiosity and or shock. "Have you had any signal from Bats yet?"

Alfred's face turned downcast as he shook his head.

"No young master I haven't. I am very sorry. Like what happened with Miss Christine, Master Bruce seems to have vanished off the face of the earth."

"So there really is no clue as to what happened to dad?" Swift gripped at Robin's hand. He could feel the fingers trembling slightly as the old butler shook his head sadly.

"No young miss….not yet…"

Swift took a deep shuddering breath as she straightened up. She could not afford any more tears, she had to keep going.

"What's going on with the media and the police back home?" she asked the slits in her mask narrowing a little.

"The media is in an absolute feeding frenzy as can be expected." Alfred sighed with exasperation "Yours and your friend's disappearance has rather brought quite a panic on the city. The Commissioner Gordon and the police are trying to keep everything as quiet as they can but even then there are some scoundrels who will sell out their information for an 'easy buck' or so they say."

"And the Crims" Robin's eyes narrowed a little with concern.

At this Alfred gave his own frown.

"Surprisingly quiet for once. No breakouts from Arkham, only a couple of petty muggings here and there"

"That's odd." Swift exchanged a glance with Robin who nodded in agreement.

"Yeah…with something big like this… I'd have thought even the Joker would have wanted to get out and show off. You know how he hates to be upstaged by anyone"

"Only too true Master Dick" Alfred sighed "only too true…"

"So what do we do if that does happen?" Christine looked at her partner worriedly. A look he reciprocated with interest.

Alfred sighed heavily and reached out to put a comforting hand on his charges shoulders.

"We shall have to wait and see when the time comes."

* * *

><p><strong>?, May 27 2011, 18:41 EDT<strong>

Bruce Wayne sat slumped in a dark windowless room his body beaten, sliced and bruised…his spirit not so much.

He was not going to give them that satisfaction.

He coughed in the chill air as he shivered under his black bat cape, the only part of his over clothing they'd let him continue to wear apart from his underwear, and the many bandages that now covered his torn up body.

But it was worth it. If all was well, Christine and her friends would be safe and sound with the team and the league.

And that was all that mattered.

* * *

><p><strong>Mount Justice, May 27 2011, 19:41 EDT<strong>

Dinner was a very strange affair at the cave that night.

Not only were all her friend's parents present as well as Alfred but all the original seven Leaguers plus the mentors and managers of the team were there too.

Dick Grayson could never remember the common room being so packed in his life. There were so many people in fact that they all had to stand around or sit in the lounging area to eat.

He breathed heavily and leaned against the wall just as Christine made her way over to her a two plate of food.

"Here" she handed it to him but he shook his head "I'm not hungry"

"But I thought you liked it Alfred's spinach pasta?"

"I do but I'm just not feeling hungry. You have it if you want." he put the plate of pasta it on top of a cabinet to his left as she pouted.

"I just finished mine. Aunty Jaqueline nearly force fed me herself"

They both quickly turned to see the blonde woman and her daughter, along with Artemis, Raquel, Zatanna and Megan all fussing and cooing over baby Emily as she gurgled and wriggled around in her carrier, lapping up all the attention she was getting with great gusto.

Christine's face softened and she quickly glanced at her partner, but her smile faded quickly. He was looking down at her, his face strangely grim.

"Come on…" he breathed grabbing her hand and dragging her out of the room and down the corridor.

Once they were around a corner they Dick stopped and turned round to face her.

It was almost like he was trying to chew something back that he was just desperate to let out.

"Dick what's wrong?" she whispered nervously reaching out to cup his cheek in her hand.

"Christine" he murmured as he touched her extended wrist gently "I was thinking…Actually I've been thinking about this for some time but…it's something I've always wanted to ask you but…"

He trailed off sighing heavily with exhausted aggravation.

"Chrissy…what do you think about becoming partners?"

"Partners?"

"Yeah! I mean we are _together_ already but I mean partners as in partners in the field"

"Dick" Christine raised her eyebrows, dropping her hand from his face so it settled on her hips "I don't know whether you've noticed but we've been _partners_ for almost four years now!"

"Not really…I mean yes we have worked together in the field as partners but… not on our own…"

"Meaning?" she narrowed her eyes.

"Meaning…" Dick stepped back so that he leaned against the wall which he slid down so that he sat down on the floor. "not with Bruce…not anymore"

Christine's eyes widened and her breath seemed to catch in her throat.

"Wait hang on! Are you saying…you wanna…that you and I-" she pointed between herself and him quickly and he nodded.

"Yeah…you and I…our own heroes…and not Batman's sidekicks"

Christine sat down beside him slowly, her eyes still widened as she tried to digest what he was suggesting. Finally after a good long moment of stunned silence she gulped.

"When did this come about?"

"Since last Year. …" Dick looked up at her and his blue eyes were glinting with anxious fear "…For the longest time I had been so excited to be Robin because I knew I would probably one day be the Batman. It was like a dream come true. But when I did that-that Failsafe simulation last year I just- I realised I couldn't do what he did. I tried to fill in for him for the sake of the world and in only a few hours I managed to send not just all our friends, but you to your deaths. It was horrible. Every time I looked at you I half expected to see you vanish into thin air in front of me. And I realised that if I continued to try to be like Batman…I'd end up losing everything…and I just…I would never forgive myself if I'd ever let that happen…again...And then day before yesterday when you were kidnapped I just- I couldn't stand watching Bruce wait all those hours. I didn't know how he could just sit there in front of a cold heartless machine knowing you were probably out there somewhere in trouble."

"Because that's his way of coping" Christine sighed "You know Dad. He needs as much data as possible before he decides to jump into anything risky, even if it is to save our lives, otherwise he finds it difficult to control himself"

"Control himself?! Pff!" Dick snorted derisively. "Christine he's worse than a frigging Robot! Even Red Tornado has more emotion in him sometimes!"

"Dick" Christine touched his arm gently but he kept going, his mouth running like a loose tap as his eyes became overbright.

"And it wouldn't do him harm to actually show any emotion at all but no~o! If he does he'll be too emotionally compromised to compute properly! Y'know I don't even know whether or not he actually approves of me dating you-"

_Kathwack!_

He winced as Christine's hand shot out at lighting fast speed to slap the back of his head hard as she growled.

"Goddamnit Dick I know you're upset he's gone, but you need to keep your head and think! Think about what you're saying! Of course he approves our relationship. Heck he's the one who partnered us up in the first place. Do you know that you are the only boy he's ever allowed me to even hold hands with without glaring down? And not only that but he was the one who chose to adopt you! He does care! He cares about you; he cares about the both of us, he cares about everyone more than he lets on! So don't you dare call him a heartless robot!"

Dick stared at her in dumbfounded shock as half angry half desperate tears began to stream down her face.

"I-I…I'm sorry…" he breathed rubbing the back of his head. "I-I just…I'm sorry"

Christine scrubbed at her eyes and sniffled. "So am I"

"For what? I was the one who was being an idiot"

"And I lost control and slapped you"

"I deserved it"

But she shook her head tears still flowing.

Dick wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side as she mumbled.

"So…if you don't want to be a sidekick anymore…does this mean you won't be Robin too?"

"…yeah…" he leant into her silvery white hair and in haled deeply. The cool scent of lavender and honey filled his nose and at once a sense of calm washed over him. "What about you? Do you wanna change your name?"

She quirked a brow at him questioningly.

"Why? What are you gonna call yourself?"

"Dunno" Dick shrugged "but I want it to be something cool, something slick, something uh…"

"Sexy?" Christine gave a choked chuckle as she sniffed down her tears again.

Dick looked down on her waggling his eyebrows with amusement "you think I'm sexy?"

"hmm…maybe" she muttered blushing a bright pink as he leant down chuckling to kiss her temple.

"So…What about you? What sexy new name are you gonna choose"

"Isn't Swift good enough?" Christine pouted in mock hurt.

"Hmm…maybe" Dick gave her a crooked grin. "But seriously? What are you going to do?"

"Meh! I'll probably give it a make-over. Goodness knows I'm getting really fed up with the press calling me daddy's little ballerina princess"

"Daddy's little WHAT?" Dick spluttered with laughter and Christine groaned.

"Great you are not going to let that rest are you?"

"Hell no! Ballerina princess! That's absolute gold! Oh god I have to tell Wally that one! HA!"

"You're lucky I love you so much Wonder Boy, very lucky indeed" Christine sighed as she felt his body shake as it was taken over by huge gasps of laughter.

* * *

><p><strong>?, May 27 2011, 21:34 EDT<strong>

There was the grinding of metal and he turned to see someone standing in a doorway. But like before in the interrogation chamber it was too dark to figure out who or what was approaching him.

Well whatever it was seemed to be carrying a tray of food which it set down in front of him on the floor as well as something cold and metallic.

"What's this?" he growled and was pleased to see the figure jump a little in surprise, though they quickly composed themselves.

"Dinner and a show" they pressed the top of the little metallic device and at once a holographic projection flashed into action in between them and Bruce.

His eyes widened in shock.

"Enjoy" his jailor smirked as they slunk back into the shadows but Bruce was too preoccupied.

There on the screen in front of him a little six year old girls pleading face with bright purple puppy dog eyes that were slightly puffy and red like her little nose, was gazing up at him holding out something in her tiny hands.

"_Daddy! Daddy! Look! What I drew!_"

She held up to the camera a sheet of paper on which was a very crude but very cute stick figure version of a person with black horns and a cape and a small person with brown strings for hair and purple dots for eyes.

"_Is that me_?" he heard his own voice say warmly.

"_Uh huh! You and me gonna go catch Joker in da Batmobile_" little Christine pointed towards the background where a large black smudge and a little green haired, purple bodied stick man with a red smile was drawn in much smaller.

Bruce couldn't see his younger self but he could tell he was smiling.

_ "It's very nice Christine. Alfred! Alfred! Come see this_!" his younger self called to the old butler who smirked as he came into view carrying a tray laden with equipment.

"_She really has managed to capture your essence on the page if I dare say so myself Master Bruce"_

There was a deep chuckle somewhere off camera.

Now he remembered. It had been one week into her second stay at the manor and she'd just recovered from the cold. He had taken a couple of days off work to look after her and whilst he waited for her tor rest up he had finished installing the miniscule video capture device he now wore in his cowl. This was the first file he'd recorded.

He clearly remembered downloading and storing it safely onto the bat computer with as air tight security as was humanely possible.

Bruce shut his eyes and his teeth gritted as the sounds of young Christine's happy giggles filled the chamber around him, echoing in the darkness.

Just how had the Apprentice gotten his hands on it?

* * *

><p><strong>Mount Justice, May 27 2011, 23:41 EDT<strong>

"Now you, young miss!" Alfred turned a stern eye on both birds his moustache "If you are feeling any sort of blues or even sick with an upset tummy you can come to me, you understand? And that goes for you too young Master!"

"Yes Alfred!" both girl and boy wonder pouted, the latter turning around and glaring at Wally who had been sniggering behind them at the mention of an upset tummy.

"Mr West is there something the matter?" the old butler quirked an eyebrow…a dangerous omen in its own right.

"N-No sir nothing" Wally quickly gulped and settled quickly into a poker face.

Forget the Batman being over protective. Alfred was more terrifying than a mother bear!

Meanwhile just a little way away in the hall…

"Are you sure you don't want me to look after her for tonight? I swear I'll feed her and everything!"

Fredericka "Freddy" Lantern looked down on the pair of light grey blue eyes that looked up at her from her infant sister's carrier. They were almost closed, and whatever was visible was looking rather blurry and tired.

But her parents shook their heads, despite the looks of fondness and love etched over their faces.

"We'll manage. You just focus on learning to…adapt to these new powers and make new friends…"

Jaqueline said gently before her husband added with a smile.

When his daughter looked sad Ludwig sighed. "You can come and visit her during the day and when you can come back home you can spend as much time as you want with her. No holds barred. And who knows? By then you might have some really exciting stories to tell her at bedtime"

"Yeah…I guess you're right" Freddy nodded.

"Mr and Mrs Lantern it's time"

All three of the Lantern's turned and saw Kaldur stride towards them his face gently concerned as he gestured towards the Zeta tube in front. They turned just as a flash of light lit up the darkening hall as Samson and Portia Hamish both vanished into thin air, their twin sons standing side by side watching sadly.

Ludwig stepped forwards and held out his hand to the Atlantian boy. "My daughter has told me and my wife about how you saved her from Luthor and from…this Red Queen woman. And now you're doing what you can to help her through this transformation. I really don't know how I could ever repay you"

"You don't have to sir" Kaldur assured him taking the man's hand in a firm grip "Your daughter is a good and kind person. And seeing you all reunited with one another happily like this is all the repayment me and my friends will ever need"

"You are a noble man Kaldur'ahm" Jaqueline smiled tremulously. "One definitely worthy of being called a hero. I do hope that you take care of yourself"

"I will try to do my best Mrs Lantern" Kaldur smiled warmly. Despite their brief acquaintance the woman reminded him very much of his own mother.

"Ahem! Kal, Freddy we have to let them leave now" Dick called as Christine quickly ran up to both adults and hugged each of them in turn, before they made to stand in the Zeta tube, baby carrier and all.

Freddy held up her hand to wave just as the computer announced.

**_Recognised Ludwig Lantern A-0-7, Jaqueline Lantern A-0-8, Emily Lantern A-0-9_**

A tear dribbled down her cheek as the last particle of light vanished from sight.

She couldn't believe it. Just three days ago she was sitting on a bus ready to go on a camp with her friends. By now she would've been on her way home, talking and chatting to the dozen to her mother in the kitchen about all the stuff she'd done like building tents or hanging out with the girls.

But instead here she stood. Her hair was white, her body itching as miniscule electric charges seemed to run across each cell throughout her body. And then there were the marks on her skin. They weren't as blatantly seen as Christine, Martin or even Georges marks but they were there. The faintest of thin golden lines, all over her skin, twisting and running down her body like wires in a hard disk that glimmered faintly was her heart pumped both blood and a pulse of energy through her with each beat it took.

A large warm hand placed itself on her shoulder and she looked up to see Kaldur's light green eyes looking down on her…kind…empathetic.

"You'll see them soon. This stay is just temporary until the league figures out what to do."

"I know" she nodded before quickly adding as nonchalantly as she could "Where are the rooms?"

"This way" Kaldur moved to the side to allow her to walk beside them.

It was a silent journey as they made their way down the length of the corridors.

Martin and George it seemed were still staying behind with the rest of the team so no one was following them.

Not that they would've cared.

Freddy's hands gripped at the hem of the T-shirt she now wore. It was one of Artemis's and it was blue with a little orange fish jumping out of a fishbowl printed over the top.

_Fish out of water huh? How fitting…_

Little did she know that Kaldur was thinking almost the exact same thing.

They stopped at the end of a very long corridor where there were a line of many doors on either side.

"These are the team and or guest quarters" Kaldur explained as they made their way down.

Freddy looked at each of the dark wooden doors in turn and spotted small personalised signs on each of them for each teammate. Most of them had stick on letters that said their hero name but nearly all of them had symbols pertaining to their persona.

She easily recognised Dick and Christine's doors because both had the bat symbol painted above to their stylistic R and S respectively. She almost giggled…at least until she came up to a blank door, close to the end right next to one with a plain letter "A" that had been designed to resemble a delta symbol.

She stared at the blank expanse of wood in front of her before reaching out timidly to grip the handle. Kaldur watched her patiently as she opened the door and followed her inside when she entered.

The room was pretty blank. One wall was that of the rocky cave, whilst the others were blank and grey. Against one wall was a large double bed with plain white sheets and brown blankets, and two bedside tables with plain little lamps. In a corner a little desk sat with a chair right next to a bookshelf. On a cabinet opposite the bed was a TV with a small speaker system and next to that another brown door.

"Your bathroom" Kaldur explained as Freddy made to peep inside. There was a simple tub/shower, toilet and sink. "But there are also showers and toilets I the change rooms closer to the hall too. But we only really use them after missions"

"Right…" she nodded at him and for the first time since her parents left she smiled up at him "Kaldur…thank you…for everything"

"My room's right next door…" He mumbled avoiding her eye "so if you or your friends need anything you can always knock and ask if. I'm not in then I'll probably be in the grotto"

"We have a grotto!" Freddy's face lit up considerably.

"Yeah…down at the lower levels…It's pretty quiet and it has a nice small salt water pool to swim in…I could show you tomorrow perhaps?"

"Yeah…I'd like that…"

Kaldur bit his lip lightly feeling his cheeks warm up slightly as the golden eyes shone with genuine gratitude and happiness.

No wonder Christine liked this girl so much. No matter what happened to her she always found a way to smile.

* * *

><p>Phew what a whopper! *wipes sweat from brow* exploring new characters is always tiring but fun.<p>

Hope you enjoyed.

Keep R&Ring for more


	6. Episode 5

**Episode 5: Elementary**

**Gotham City, May 28 2011, 01:07 EDT**

A black vehicle silently slid into the shadows of a darkened alleyway.

Swift looked at her Robin as his hands tensed up as he set the Batmobile to park.

"Dick" she reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Is everything ok?"

"Uh…yeah…yeah it's ok" but despite his words he looked towards her gulping nervously "It's just…first patrol without Bruce at all…just nervous I guess…"

"We'll be fine"

Swift smiled as his cheeks flushed a little and leaned forwards to peck at his lips quickly.

"Just a peck?" Robin pouted when she pulled back and she giggled.

"Yep!…now come on wonder boy we've got a case to solve"

He grinned at her as she quickly slipped out the roof of the automobile.

There was silence between the two of them as Swift flew and Robin zipped on his grapple gun up the length of the large building they'd parked beside, the Gotham City Police Department.

They headed up to the rooftop from which a large light was pointing upwards into the cloudy sky, the black silhouette of a bat obscuring almost half of it.

They reached in silence both smirking as they caught sight of the back of the very familiar greying head of auburn hair

Swift flicked her wrist and a gust of wind blew the large brown trench coat he was wearing upwards. He turned sharply around.

"Good Evening Commissioner Gordon"

"Oh…thank heavens it's you two" he sighed with relief though he sounded a little worried. He didn't doubt the boy or the girl wonder's skills at all, but being the family man that he was, no matter how many times he'd seen them in action he still worried for their safety and well-being. Heroes or not they were still kids too.

He quickly looked around resettling his glasses on his face as he peered around for a familiar black massive man in the shadows where both the birds were standing half concealed. But nothing was there.

"Batman isn't with you?"

Swift shook her head as Robin proceeded to answer

"He's on another case that can't wait"

She was thankful she was wearing both her domino and her face mask at the moment because she was feeling incredibly guilty and she was sure it would show all over her face.

"The Hallows case I know" Gordon nodded gravely "he said it would take a while. Any leads?"

"The girl and her friends are safe" Robin answered, "We found them at a secure location two days ago on the twenty-sixth. We would've contacted you sooner but certain…issues have arisen"

"Issues?" Gordon frowned and now he looked really worried "they're not hurt are they?"

"Not hurt per say…But definitely changed?"

"For better or worse?"

"Hard to say at the moment" Robin bristled a little as he quickly snuck a glance at his partner "but we're keeping them under quarantine until we're sure that they're completely in the clear…just in case"

"Oh…alright then" Gordon coughed and shoved a hand into his pocket his moustache quivering a little.

"Are you alright?" Swift tilted her head to the side.

"What me?" Gordon looked rather taken aback. The girl wonder rarely spoke up whenever they met and even then it was usually only one or two words. For her to ask him such a personal question was completely mind boggling. "Yes I'm fine…it's just that…those kids…they're friends of my Barbra and well…"

"Your daughter is safe Commissioner." Swift nodded "We've got friends keeping surveillance over her just in case"

And indeed she was right. Ever since she, Freddy, George and Martin had been kidnapped the Justice League had been keeping tabs on the Gordon's day and night. However their load was quite light this time round especially since Barbra had not gone to school since the kidnapping and had stayed holed up in her house with her mother and younger brother, much to her chagrin.

Swift smirked a little at the thought. Oh well! Even if the red head was angry she'd at least be safe and that was all that mattered.

She walked over to the older man and into the light.

Gordon's eyes bulged in his sockets as he caught sight of the shock of white hair and the glimpses of whatever chalk white skin he could see around her masks.

"Another side-effect of my powers I'm afraid" she explained quietly before smirking "Though on the bright side it kinda makes a good conversation starter."

"You don't say" the older man coughed bringing his hand out to hand to her a blue police file. "you might want to take a moment…the pictures are pretty gruesome"

Swift nodded and stepped back towards her partner before opening it. She felt whatever body heat she currently had drain completely from her face.

"What is it?" Robin stepped forwards to peer over her shoulder. "Oh…"

The first object in the file was a newspaper article, with the symbol of the globe blasted in her face from the header _Daily Planet_. Beneath the name of the paper was a large coloured photograph of a room.

It was a library that much was plain. It had a large amount of books lining the shelved walls. There was an old fashioned wooden painted globe of the Earth on a stand to the right of a lounge with a chess set laid out. A desk was there too, some way away but still close enough to see…._him_

Despite the awkward foetal position on the floor, you could tell from comparing him to the large couch behind him that he was tall, six feet tall at least. His hair was short and white, matching the full moustache that covered this upper lip, making the brown colour of his irises that stared out from the dull glassy orbs from within his wrinkled eye sockets, pop out. His mouth was open in a dull echo of a half cried scream, which only made the saliva that pooled within it dribble down to the floor.

He was still in his flannel nightclothes, blue and white striped under the blue velvet dressing gown, over which one hand was clutching at the part around his middle…from which several deep red patches were oozing and staining his hands…with blood…

The white slits of Swift's masked eyes travelled to below the photograph where a short piece of was squashed into the remaining space left over from the image.

_A Study in Scarlett?_

- _Friday, May 20th 2011, Clark Kent._

_Early yesterday my colleagues Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen and I had the misfortune to be awoken from our beds by the sound of screaming from the floor above our guest rooms at the Hallows London Townhouse. As we made our way upstairs we ran into the housekeeper Mrs. Sarah Gilberts (age 47) as she was making a call to the police explaining that the Lord Stanley Stuart Hallows Senior (age 78), Earl of the Northern Isles of Brumalund and old British war veteran was found by his wife, Countess Evelyn Dorothea Hallows (age 69) stabbed to death in the middle of his study-_

_Continued page 5…_

"Swift?" Robin trailed off to shiver slightly with the others as the air around them chilled suddenly. Swift breath hitched almost silently in her throat and she clenched the paper tightly in her hands, small ice crystals freezing the edges of the paper from beneath her fingers.

"The Earl of Brumalund's murder reported was more than a week ago to the London Authorities" She looked up at the Commissioner. "What business does the GCPD have with his case?"

"Christine Hallows is the Earl's granddaughter" Gordon shifted nervously on his feet as he felt a shudder creep down his spine. Was it just him or had the night suddenly gotten really chilly?

"The authorities from London believe that the one responsible for the Earl's death may also be responsible for her kidnapping. They believe there might be a big ploy from some bigwig in the British government to dock off the Hallows bloodline."

"Is that so?"

"yes…yes it is…" Gordon took a step back as Swift's eyes flickered up to his narrowed so dangerously that he shuddered.

Robin quickly put a hand on his partner's shoulder and squeezed it tight. He could almost feel the icily murderous aura around her just through his touch alone.

She sighed quickly and took a deep shuddering breath before quickly turning around and lightly pushed herself up into the air, before flying over the edge of the building.

Robin watched her go for a moment before turning back to Gordon.

"Sorry about that it's just…she's not been feeling well and it's been a long day. We'll be sure to look into the lead"

"I understand. Thank you Robin" Gordon nodded solidly, but as soon as he blinked. The boy was gone.

He sighed and shook his head. Bats! Why did they always have to do that to him?

Meanwhile down in the alley way Robin had just opened the door to the batmobile.

He peered inside.

His partner was curled up in the front passenger seat, both her masks off so that he could see her purple eyes brimming over with tears.

"I know! I know!" she mumbled scrubbing her eyes as he crawled over the driver's seat to lean over her. "I've seen the pictures before…I shouldn't be still crying…"

"Cry all you want" Robin kissed her brow gently and held her to him. "I'm not gonna go anywhere"

"Dick!" she whimpered into his costume "what if it's true? What if they are targeting my family? They've already got Dad, what if they get…they get…Oh god…"

"Chris just take a deep breath-"

"But Dick" she pulled away and her eyes were wide with terror "she'll be so scared if they…if someone like Deathstroke…or Luthor or even that Apprentice…if they…and she…"

"No she won't"

"But she's still so young…"

"They won't get _her_…" Robin muttered fiercely looking down determinedly into her eyes "They won't even get one hair of hers…I promise"

* * *

><p><strong>?, May 28 2011, 05:39 EDT<strong>

The figure of a tall broad man curled in upon himself as another long sliver the skin of his back was sliced away by the long thin whip that was being held by a tall dark shadow that loomed above him.

"Where is it?!" a voice snarled in the darkness

"Go…to…hell!"

"WHERE IS THAT JOURNAL?!"

"…never…never tell…the likes of you!"

Bruce Wayne shut his eyes barley able to stop the tears of pain that streaked down his face as he his head was yanked back by the roots of his hair.

"Now" the voice from before hissed. "I'll repeat myself again where is my_ husband's_ Journal?"

"And I'll… repeat _myself_ again" Bruce growled "Go. To. Hell."

"Oh Bruce. You should know I do not like to do this, but orders are orders!"

The owner of the voice clicked something on and at once a little bright beam shot across the room to project into the thin air.

Bruce gritted his teeth willing his moistening eyes not to over flow again as they caught sight of a life sized holographic image in front of him.

"_Dada!"_

A baby girl in a little blue onesie with white snowflakes giggled loudly at him. Her purple eyes were bright and wide with joy as she positively bounced where she sat, before rolling onto her back.

"Aww…how pathetic" the voice simpered sickeningly "But then again babies do have very little balance or co-ordination"

Another crack of the whip, another cry of pain, and all the while the little holographic baby continued to gurgle happily on her back as she pulled up one of her covered up feet towards her mouth.

Bruce kept his blurred eyes on her as she suckled on it with her toothless mouth, her drool dampening the material.

The whip cracked on the back of his shoulder and he lurched forwards.

"How does it feel Bruce?"

Another crack, this time on the other shoulder.

"To have something you love-"

_Crack!_

"-Just-"

_Crack!_

"-Out-"

_Crack!_

"-of-"

_Crack!_

"-your-"

_Crack!_

"-reach?"

_CRACK!_

"NGHAA!"

"It's painful isn't it? You want to reach out and take it but it just _slips_" a tongue darting out to flick over his earlobe "through your fingers…like water…or _wind_…"

There was a thump as the bleeding bruised man was shoved roughly to the stony ground where he struggled to lift his head as a slender pair of feet in red high heels stalked away from him and into the light of the hologram, the hem of a red dress billowing about it.

He looked up into the face of his torturer. To any man she would have been considered beautiful, what with her pale translucent skin, high cheekbones, red lips, delicate features and white blonde hair in it's a symmetrical bob. But to Bruce it was probably the vilest visage he had ever laid eyes on, especially as she sneered down at him, hazel eyes glinting with malicious pleasure.

"You…you won't get away with this Scarlett!" He struggled wildly against his bonds as she chuckled loudly!

"Pff! Oh that was just precious Bruce! Simply precious! Did you know that those were the same words _she_ spoke to me when I drove that knife into her?"

"You…" Bruce growled as he managed to get to his knees, though his arms were still chained in front of him.

For a split second Scarlett's eyes widened ever so slightly with fear as they met with her captive's stormy blue eyes. But it was short lived as she pulled herself up to her fullest height and turned her back on him.

"As fun as this little reunion was Bruce I have a party to arrange. My _engagement_ party to be precise. But mark my words. I will _always_ get what I want"

"No you won't" Bruce growled. "Not this time"

The door had shut with a clang and he smirked.

"Stupid bitch…" he opened up his closed hands in his lap where a small dark clothes pin, glimmered in the blue light of the hologram.

"She never learns…"

* * *

><p><strong>Mount Justice, May 29 2011, 03:43 EDT<strong>

Christine sat up in bed, her body screaming in protest as she had to move her bruised arms to struggle into a clean T-shirt. Dick was laying on the bed beside her, already fast asleep, his back towards her so that he didn't have to face the dim light of her lamp by her bedside.

She looked down on him. He looked haggard, with dark circles under his eyes and his hair splayed all about his face all wild and untamed.

_Well at least he's able to shut his eyes._

She rolled her eyes fondly as she began to brush out her tangled hair.

Patrol had been almost uneventful. Only a couple of muggings to stop but otherwise nothing…not that anything could with that god almighty storm that was currently sweeping over the city of darkness. Thunder and lightning crashing down like giant drums as rain drops the size of large marbles pelted down, crashing painfully cold and wet against every single person or surface it could reach. It had been such a heavy downpour that the boy and girl wonder could barely see anything even in the batmobile's special HUD display. They were just lucky that they'd managed to reach the underground routes to the Batcave without even one mishap.

Christine winced as one of the bruises on her upper back twinged as she bent back down to reach into her bedside cabinet. She may have the ability to control the winds but even then it wasn't like she could command them to stop a storm of that magnitude. She just wasn't strong enough…not yet at any rate.

She pulled out the brown leather bound journal and pulled it back into her lap frowning slightly as she fingered the nymph embossed on the cover.

She carefully peeled back the front cover, making sure not to bend the spine too much as she handled it with gentle fingers. Years of being a professor's daughter, she had developed an almost obsessive compulsion to treat every single book she had in her hands with as much care as one would a delicate antique.

Though in more recent days she was really tempted to fling aside this care and toss this blasted tome into the wall.

_You must be patient little one…it will divulge its answers to you soon enough_

Zephyra cooed gently in her head.

_Yeah well soon enough may not be…well…soon enou-_

She stared bug eyed at the first page. The little hexagonal characters that usually ran in a jumbled twisting mess all over the page were now...

"Holy…crap…" she breathed.

It was like watching the moving image of a time-lapse of a flower but in reverse. The lines between the hexagonal snowflakes were spinning very fast as they quickly untangled themselves from each other, rearranging themselves so that they ran smoothly in straight lines from left to right across the page.

_I told you to be patient little one_

She could practically feel the ancient Lady of Order smirking.

_Yeah! Yeah! Rub it in!_

Christine rolled her eyes as she smoothed out the page. As soon as her fingers made contact with the ink, it glowed a bright purple.

_When the Grey Door opens,_

A deep masculine voice echoed in the depths of her head.

With a gasp she jerked her hand away and quickly glanced over at Dick. He didn't stir. He was too exhausted it seemed.

She turned back to the moving text and gingerly pressed her index finger to the first line again.

_When the Grey Door opens,_

The voice reappeared and this time she was calm enough to listen to it, though it took a lot of effort. She couldn't help it. It sounded an awful lot like…

"Papa?"

_The darkness will unfurl once more,_

_But with that darkness_

_So shall a light shine_

_And Seven Warriors shall rise_

_From the depths of time_

_Children of the Earth, the Wind, the Water_

_Children of the Flame and the Light, _

_Children of Shadow and of Life._

_Arise from your slumber_

_And protect us from strife,_

_For if the Grey Door opens,_

_The world shall fall like before._

_And evil shall rule forever more._

* * *

><p><strong>Wayne Manor (Gotham), May 28 2011, 06:09 EDT<strong>

Alfred Pennyworth sat in the quiet isolation of the kitchen a cup of tea in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

But his eyes weren't really drinking in the newspaper heading in front of him. They were slightly glazed over.

There should have been three people sitting with him in this room this morning, but there weren't. Only empty chairs.

He caught sight of the window outside, which was getting battered by the heavy torrential rain. It was such a miserable sound, that even he was dismal and for a seasoned Gothamite like himself that was saying something.

"Forgive me Master Thomas" he sighed despondently putting the paper on the counter top "please forgive me. I've failed you I've-".

He stopped abruptly as the distant sounds of banging reached his ears.

"What on Earth?!" he quickly stood up quickly as someone called out faintly in the distance. It was a man's voice.

He stood up quickly frowning a little.

The newspaper had been delivered this morning as had all the post? And since twenty years ago there was no milkman to call at the kitchen door anymore so who the hell could it be?

He reached the door at record speed and opened it a crack.

A large bulk of a man covered in dark material was standing hunched over in front of him, the dark head of hair on top wet and drooping in front of his face which was covered in heavy stubble.

"Sir? How may I be of assistance?" Alfred narrowed his eyes.

The man looked up and the old butler's eyes widened in shock.

"Master Bruce!"

"Alfred…help…"

Alfred barely had time to compose himself as his master toppled over into his arms with a heavy sigh as one of his legs gave out.

Despite his exhaustion Bruce was rather impressed that the old man was strong enough to half carry half drag him even as far as the threshold of the front door let alone all the way down to the bat cave. Though admittedly Alfred had used a secret passageway that was part elevator to take them both down.

"Come now Master Bruce…" Alfred grunted as he deposited his charge into a medical bed "you need to lie down"

"No Alfred …must get to Mount Justice"

But his butler shook his head, sighing half in exasperation and half in fondness.

"No Sir. You must get some rest"

"But they-"

"I shall call upon young master Dick and young Miss Christine as soon as I get you sorted out. You have my word"

"Is…is she alright?"

"She is fine as are her friends…and she will be most thrilled to hear about your return I can assure you"

The butler smirked as Bruce nodded eyes drifting shut as exhaustion overtook his body.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Front door alarm" Alfred sighed in exasperation as the blue eyes snapped open once more. "I will check the monitor first"

"No need. Computer" Bruce rasped despite the disapproving look from his butler "bring up live feed from the manor front door. Authorisation Batman 02"

At once a holographic screen appeared over both men displaying a large slightly blurry video feed of the front door on which Bruce had just been sitting on.

Two people were standing on the porch. Or rather one adult and one child. The adult appeared to be a woman but it was very difficult to make out her face as it was hidden beneath the hood of her coat and her black umbrella she was folding.

The child too had their hood pulled up though Bruce saw for a fraction of a second as they turned round that a long lock of light brown hair.

Wait…brown hair? Child?

"Alfred-"

"I'm on it sir" Alfred called as he rushed back up the stairs and away from his master who sighed with exhaustion as he leant his head back on the bed cushion.

Just when he thought it was all over for today.

* * *

><p><strong>Mount Justice, May 28 2011, 08:25 EDT<strong>

"Are you alright?"

"uh…"

Freddy bit her lip unsurely as she looked down on the pool of salty water in front of her, then she looked down on her hands. The markings on her skin was still glimmering faintly and she could feel the buzzing of the currents of energy flow through her with each heartbeat.

"If you are uncomfortable with swimming I could take you over to the shallower end over there"

Kaldur gulped down the uncomfortable lump in his throat as he watched the girl in front of him fidget with her hands.

"Um…no I'm a good swimmer…it's just that well…" she trailed off wiggling her fingers in his face. a couple of little tendrils of electricity flickered between the digits.

"Oh right" the Atlantian boy nodded looking rather sheepish and embarrassed "Well that…I'm sorry I should've known…I-"

"No! No it's fine I just…I forgot about…all this" she gestured to all of herself. "I just don't know if I won't just… short circuit if I go in or something?"

"We'll have to have tests run just to make sure" Kaldur muttered and Freddy nodded.

"Yeah…but maybe while we wait…" she looked up at him hopefully "maybe there's something else we can do around here?"

"Is there anything in particular you'd like to see?"

"Well…" Freddy chewed on her lip as she thought hard "Christine did once tell me that there is a private beach close by. We don't have to go in the water but even then I'd just love to feel something other than metal under my feet if you catch my drift"

"I do" Kaldur smiled "But we'll have to go back up to the main hall to reach the-"

He was cut off by the female metallic voice of the computer as it announced.

**_Recognised Batman 0-2, Alfred Pennyworth A-0-6, _**

"Batman…" Kaldur looked confusedly at Freddy who had clapped a hand to her mouth.

"…oh my god he's back! He's BACK! WHAHOOO!"

She positively squealed with delight and bounced up and down in her spot before grabbing the Atlantian boy by the shoulders and pulling him into a tight hug. Kaldur felt tingles as electricity literally sparked off her skin and tickled at the points where their skins came into contact. At once his eel tattoos glowed a faint blue as they absorbed the sudden surge of energy the girl emitted from her body.

He opened his mouth to tell her of the strange anomaly, when he heard her give an excited whoop of joy. Then suddenly he stumbled backwards her arms flung around his neck as her lips pressed firmly against his cheek.

He suddenly felt as if all the heat from a supernova had just flared up into his face from the sudden contact but before he could even comprehend why, she pulled away and grabbed his hand tight in hers.

"Come on! We should go see him! OMG! Do you think Chrissy knows? Is she here? If she's not we should go tell her! Oh gods she will be so happy!" Freddy beamed with bright golden eyes as she began to literally drag him back up the stairs, not noticing Kaldur's very red cheeks or his small smile as they exited the grotto.

* * *

><p>Christine was sitting with Dick, Martin, George and Roy in the common room around the island in the kitchen. With the others at school there wasn't much the four high schoolers could do and even though he was no longer a school student, Roy still had to stay with them as a member of the League. But it wasn't so bad. In fact it was rather cool.<p>

Currently the red haired archer was regaling a rather amusing story from some of the sidekick's first missions together for the newly transformed twins, and they in turn were revealing some pretty funny stuff from their schooldays with the boy and girl wonder.

Christine smiled as Dick scowled at Roy's depiction of him during his early years as Robin, particularly the ones concerning the boy wonder's short height.

She shook her head fondly. She didn't think she could never express how relieved she was that she could now share her full life as both hero and civilian with nearly all her closest friends. True both the twins had been rather irritated with her in the beginning for not confiding in them, but that was to be expected. Even some of her friends on the Team, mainly those who weren't a part of the first original five sidekicks, did not know some things about her.

Christine had always been a rather private person, even before she'd decided to lead the double life. Heck there were still some things she never even told Bruce and that was saying a lot considering she'd known him for as long as she could remember.

_But just how long have I known him?_

She frowned as she stirred the teaspoon in her cup of camomile tea.

That dream she'd had two nights ago…it had felt so real…she could almost remember just how warm Bruce's arms had been to her as a baby.

But that couldn't be right could it?

No…. Before that she'd been born in France just as her parents' divorce had come through and her goddamn biatch of a mother had handed her off to her papa. Then she'd been taken back to the Isle of Brumalund where she'd been raised by her father with her grandparents, until she was five…that was when she first came to Gotham…when she first met the man who would become her dad.

Her brow furrowed even more as she stared down into the light brown reflection in her tea.

It was odd…even though she'd never met the man before then she'd felt…comfortable and safe in his presence. It was such an automatic bond that within a few months of knowing him she'd started to call him Daddy. She did not know why or how it had started nor had she cared…until now…

_Oh Dad…_

She sighed heavily.

_I'm so sorry. How did I get you into this mess?_

"Hey…you ok?"

She looked up. Dick, Martin, George and Roy were all looking concernedly at her.

She gave them a quick smile

"I'm fine…just thinking that's all…"

Roy reached out across the table and took her hand to give it a squeeze.

"Chris, don't worry they'll find him soon"

"If I had a dollar for every time someone has told me that I'd be richer than a queen" she groaned, running her free hand through her white hair.

"God! Of all the times for this kind of thing to happen-"

"You're telling us?" Martin snorted.

"Yeah! We'd been preparing for our exams and now look!" George grumbled irritably as he shoved his glasses further up the bridge of his now pale blue nose "I'm a fish boy and he's living flame-grilled tandoori"

He jerked a thumb towards his brother who scowled.

"Hey! My hair went out ages ago"

And indeed it was true. It had taken a few hours but after waiting patiently, the flames that had flickered on top of his head following his transformation had died out, leaving him with a thatch of spiky birds nest of white hair.

"You know" Dick leaned forwards eyes darting between his girlfriend and the twins "I've been thinking…"

"A dangerous thing to do" Roy muttered. Dick rolled his eyes and steamrolled on anyway.

"What if you guys have…similar powers?"

"I'm ice and wind, Marty's fire and George's probably got water abilities I don't really see how those can be called similar" Christine raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah I know but…" Dick bit his lip as he retraced his steps "ok so maybe they're not similar in what they can do but…Well, I don't know, look at yourselves!" he gesticulated wildly to all three of them "I mean you all have white hair…_unusual_ eye colours and these markings on your bodies…what if you guys share powers from-"

"A similar source…" Roy's face split into a wide grin of satisfaction as comprehension dawned on him. "A source that has powers of all the elements"

Christine froze, her eyes widening but no noticed. They were too absorbed in their own conversation.

"So wait a moment" Martin grinned "you mean to tell me if we can find this source or information about it-"

"-We can figure out a way you guys can control these new powers!" Dick finished nodding vigorously, but George's frown only deepened.

"But Dick if that is the case then what is that source? How are we going to find it?"

"I think I know where to look" Christine quickly glanced at the corridor leading to the Team's living quarters and bit her lip.

She still hadn't told anyone of her discovery last night. But it wasn't like it would be an easy conversation to start. What was she going to say

_"Hey guys my journal just started doing magical mumbo jumbo and now I can understand what it's saying. Apparently there's some weird poem in it that explains everything"_

No…even in her head that sounded stupid.

They all turned to look at her quickly and she blushed deeply, the pink in her cheeks standing out starkly from the chalk white skin.

_Well…here it goes…_

She opened her mouth to speak.

"Guys I-"

**_Recognised Batman 0-2, Alfred Pennyworth A-0-6,_**

The computer's voice boomed.

Christine's voice stuck in her throat and she stared open mouthed into the empty space in front of her.

"Hang on did the computer just say…"

Dick, Martin, George and Roy all exchanged the same shocked glances with each other.

There was a pause and then…

Chairs scraped loudly, one or two even crashing to the floor as the many pairs of feet thundered down the corridor and out towards the main hall.

Christine couldn't stop the tears that welled up in her eyes.

Her Dad! Her dad was alive! He was here!

She flew into the cave's main hall and let out a choked sound that was halfway between a sob and a laugh of joy as she caught sight of the large body of a man in a T-shirt and track pants, with dark hair and tired blue eyes limping into the centre of the room.

"Daddy!"

Bruce Wayne smiled as his daughter practically flung herself at him almost tackling him to the ground.

He wrapped his arms tight around her ignoring all the pain in his body as she buried her face into his chest her tears of happiness staining his shirt.

The Dark Knight felt another large something ram into him as Dick hurtled into their midst, squeezing his way into the large pair of arms and cackling madly.

There was the thundering of feet as Martin, George, Roy as well as Kaldur and Freddy came running into the room. There were many cries of relief and laughs, even Kaldur chuckled under his breath as Roy cried out in surprise.

"Bruce! What the hell took you so long?"

"They had me under pretty tight security" Bruce muttered "I almost wouldn't have made it. if it weren't for this"

He held up a tiny dress makers pin with a red rose at one end. Christine quickly took it her smile quickly turning into a mask of fury.

"Oh that wretched old mother fu-"

"Ahem young lady! Manners!"

Christine froze. So did everyone else.

Bruce stepped to the side.

Alfred was standing behind him, his suit impeccably neat as always. His moustache quivered as he gave his young charges a brief smile before tilting his head towards the figure beside him.

It was a woman. She was tall and willowy, with long silvery grey hair tied back in a super neat and elegant French twist behind her head that highlighted her long swan white neck and the large diamond earrings on her pale earlobes. From the wrinkles around her warm brown eyes she was definitely more than fifty years old but she had aged gracefully so that while she was mature she still maintained a lot of her old beauty.

She wore a large dark coat over a long black dress the hem of which reached just above her black heeled feet.

Christine gaped at her, drinking in her appearance, her eyes eventually straying towards the woman's out stretched hand which was holding onto a smaller arm.

There were several splutters from the boys as they stared, rooted to the spot shock completely flooding their systems.

A little girl was standing beside Christine's grandmother, wearing a little dark hooded raincoat jacket over her little pink dress. She was small, probably only four years old with light chocolaty brown hair cut in a short bob that framed her sweet little face from which a pair of large thick lashed purple eyes stared up at them all nervously drinking everything in. When she caught sight of Christine staring her face suddenly split into a massive smile.

"SISSY!"

Roy, Martin, George and Kaldur's jaws all dropped as the little angel ran fast on those little white stockinged legs of hers and planted her face right into a still very shocked Christine's legs.

"Nessa…Granny what are you doing here?!" she cried out as the older woman, her grandmother strode over to her and enveloped her in a tight hold.

"Oh my dear look at you" the woman's stern gaze melted away into one of warm pride as she pulled away to inspect her granddaughter "all grown up…you look so beautiful. And you Richard! Look how handsome you've become!"

She reached out and affectionately the Boy Wonder's cheek as he blushed a little pink.

"Thank you mam" he mumbled, but already the woman had turned her attention back to her granddaughter.

"Oh if only Stanley could be here and my dear Stuart. They would both be so proud." Her eyes softened considerably as she stroked her fingers through the long silvery white locks of hair. "They always said you'd be the one!"

_Be the one? What the hell is she talking about?! Wait what's that on my leg?_

Christine shook her head and quickly looked down to the little girl who was tugging on her pant leg.

"Sissy no hug me back." the little girl pouted a little grumpily "I hug you first. You need hug me"

"Sorry Nessa" Christine smiled scooping up the little girl in her arms "I was just surprised that's all"

"Good Surprise?" the little girl's purple eyes became large and round.

"Yes" Dick smiled leaning in to ruffle the little girls head "Very good surprise little lady"

"Richie!" She beamed up at him reaching out from Christine's arms to wrap her small ones around his neck. Dick complied cackling loudly as he lifted the little girl up into his arms and spun her round in the air.

"And up we go!"

She squealed with delight as he swooped her down, quickly placing her back into Christine's waiting arms which she latched onto giggling madly.

"Uh…Batman…"

"hmm?" all three bats turned around as Roy stepped forwards his face strangely pale.

"Who exactly are …" He glanced pointedly at Christine's grandmother and the little girl.

"They are my family" Christine coughed straightening up and glancing nervously between her partner and her dad who both gave her a solid nod. "Alfred if you could do the honours"

"It would be my pleasure young miss" the old butler stepped forwards and cleared his throat.

"Young heroes and guests may I present to you the Countess Evelyn Hallows of Brumalund." He gestured towards the older woman who gave a gracious nod towards the teens in front of her.

"I am charmed to meet you all. My granddaughter has told me so much about you"

"good things I hope" Kaldur stepped forwards putting on his politest voice. Christine smirked when she looked him over. His hand was holding onto Freddy's.

But she didn't have time to dwell on that new discovery as the Countess continued to speak.

"yes indeed, she speaks the highest of praises" she gave a small smile though it was quick to vanish.

"Christine aren't you forgetting something?" She quickly clipped.

"Oh right!" Christine gulped feeling her face flush slightly as she resettled the little girl in her arms, who, upon suddenly noticing the other people in the room, quickly buried her head into the older girl's shoulder.

"Uh guys…this is Vanessa…my little sister"

"…Hello" Vanessa mumbled shyly peeking up at them all.

Freddy squealed with delight as Martin, George and Roy all inelegantly stared at the tiny being dumbfounded.

Finally the red haired archer turned his back on all of them and put his hand to the com in his ear.

"Hey guys you aren't gonna believe this…yeah I know you've just started class but seriously you've got to hear this…Batman's back …no I am not joking Wally he really is back…yes M'gann we are sure but that's not important…argh! Alright! Alright! I'll send you a picture just to make sure"

He quickly turned his com off and turned back to them.

"Sorry about this" he quickly flipped his smart phone out and took a picture of Bruce who flinched as the flash went in his eye. Then he turned quickly to snap a shot of Christine, Vanessa and Dick. He quickly typed out a message and hit send.

There was a very tense pause.

"Roy-" Christine raised her eyebrows.

"SHH! Wait for it" he hissed just as a tiny beep signalled the appearance of several holo screens.

**_Incoming messages from Artemis, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Superboy, Zatanna, Rocket._**

Christine snorted with such unladylike laughter as each of her friends' shocked faces appeared on their respective screens, that her grandmother looked alarmed.

"young lady!"

But Christine did not care. She positively cracked up as each and every one of the teen heroes yelled in absolute shock.

"OH MY GOD!"

"Is that a?"

"Mini SWIFT?!"

* * *

>?, May 28 2011, ?:? ?<p>"Aquila"<p>

"yes my lord?"

"I can feel it…there are five now…five strong forces…but they are still short of two…"

"So what does that mean for us?"

"It means…it's time"

"Are…Are you sure my lord"

"Definitely…now go!"

"Of course my Lord"

….

….

**_Is he gone?_**

"Yes"

**_There is no time to waste. We must hurry if we want our plans to succeed._**

"Of course"

**_You do understand… an opportunity such as this is so rare it is likely this will be our only chance to take what is rightfully ours…We cannot afford any more failure…not like the last time…_**

"The last time …I was up against those of much greater power and experience"

**_But now they are merely children…now there is no excuse for you to hide behind. Whatever mistakes you make will be the fault of your own shortcomings…_**

"I know"

**_And still you choose to serve me?_**

"I would live for you… _die_ for you …And if you wished it I would take the world and everything in it to plant at your feet … you are my life and soul …my Master…"

* * *

><p>TADAAA~!<p>

Episode 5 is a go-go-go-go-go!

So Batdaddy managed to escape on his own YAYY! (well duh he did he's the freaking batman!) and we got to see more of Christine's family. if you are a bit confused then do not worry next chapter will explain a heck of a lot.

Otherwise I hope you enjoyed.

Keep R&Ring for more

P.S.

Heads up Chapter six might be a bit angsty and sad.


	7. Episode 6

**Episode 6: Fractured**

**Mount Justice May 29 2011, 12:08 EDT**

"Sissy, why everyone in dress up?"

All of them were waiting in the cave common room whilst the Justice Leaguers and Swift's Grandmother the Countess, all held counsel in the main hall.

It had been for the most part silent as all the teen heroes simply stared as little Vanessa Hallows bobbed up and down in her older sister's lap looking around at all their colourful costumes.

Perhaps the most stunned was Kid Flash whose hands kept missing his mouth as he tried to deposit a crisp into it. Eventually Artemis gave an exasperated sigh and shoved it into its appropriate place for him before forcing him to chew.

Vanessa giggled, and Miss Martian could not help but notice just how soft Swift's face went at the sound. It was rather like the look she usually gave to the boys on occasion, an expression that was both tolerant and tenderly affectionate.

_No wonder she's so patient with everyone…_

She heard Aqualad murmur across the link.

_Wait a moment I thought her mum and dad divorced when Christine was a kid?_

Rocket piped in frowning slightly as she watched the scene.

_She's my half sister_

They all jumped a little in their spots around them, but Swift's voice was gentle and understanding, albeit rather sad.

_Before Papa died he was engaged to a woman called Bianca Delany. She was a wonderful ballerina…and a good woman…_

_What happened to her?_

Superboy asked his brow furrowing with concern as he quickly caught sight of a flash of pain that crossed over Swift's face in a second. But no sooner had he blinked she'd quickly pulled up the proverbial mask once more. Eventually she managed to clip out blankly.

_Complications in childbirth…Eclampsia…she…she didn't make it…_

There was a silence across the mental link as everyone turned their faces to look down at the floor.

Vanessa blinked and looked around, before promptly looking up with those familiar wide purple eyes into Swift's masked face.

"What's wrong Sissy? Why is eve-one sad?"

"Oh Nessa" Swift sighed pulling the little child in closer "it's ok…we're all ok" the last bit was barely audible and to Robin it sounded more like his partner was trying to convince herself.

"Where's Grandpa?"

There was a tense pause in which Swift's body trembled for a small moment. Freddy bit her lip worriedly readying herself to step forwards to intervene but Swift gave her a small shake of the head.

"…What did Granny tell you Sweety?" she cooed softly.

Vanessa frowned for a moment in thought and despite the severity of the situation all the members of the team could not help the small upward quirks of their mouth.

It really was like watching a tiny version of their friend, even their voices were similar. However Roy noticed Christine had a very infinitesimally slightly more Americanised twang to her accent than Vanessa who was distinctly more British.

"Granny told me…that Grandpa is up in heaven watching all the fairies that-that help make the snow from the clouds…is that true?"

Swift opened her mouth once. Shut it quickly as she rethought her answer and then opened it once more.

"Yes…yes it is true" she nodded gulping down the last of her words heavily.

"Hang on a minute? Snow fairies?" Red Arrow tilted his head in confusion.

Swift nodded.

"Once upon a time there was a prince, the youngest of three, that sought to earn his father's praise by hunting down the Snow Fairies that kept the kingdom trapped in eternal winter. After five years of chasing them he finally managed to capture the Queen of the Snow Fairies in one of his traps when she sacrificed herself to save her people. However she was so beautiful that the prince fell in love with her on sight and could not kill her. Instead he sought to marry her, hoping that their love would end the war between the humans and the fairies. Of course the King could not condone this union but nor could he dissuade his son from this path no matter how hard he tried. And so he forced the Fairy Queen, her court as well as his son and his followers into exile over the sea. Eventually they found a deserted isle on which they found that both fairy and human could live in peace. That Isle was Brumalund."

"The land of Winter" Aqualad nodded. Out of all the team, he was the only one second to Swift that was knowledgeable in ancient language. Though that mostly came from the spell casting he'd learned that was mostly in Ancient Greek, Atlantian and or Latin.

"And what's this a legend? A myth? A fairy tale?" Wally sounded sceptical but he held back most of his bite upon seeing Vanessa pout angrily at him.

"They are not i-imaginary! The snow fairies are real! Sissy is a Snow Fairy now too! Right sissy? Is that why you're white like snow?"

There was a stunned silence as everyone turned to stare at Swift. Now that they thought about it her ice powers were not so scientifically triggered as they had been mystical.

"Chris…" Martin gulped, exchanging a glance with his twin George.

"hmm?" Swift's hold on her little sister tightened a little in surprise though it was quick to vanish.

"What other myths about elemental _fairies_ do you know about?"

Swift opened her mouth to speak but at that moment there was the sound of heels clacking against the floor.

Everyone turned to see the Countess Evelyn walking side by side with a fully suited Batman.

"About time" She rolled her eyes behind her mask as she stood up, putting her little sister down on the floor to stand behind her protectively as the pair of adults strode into the room.

"Young Lady, you are to come with me at once. Pack your things now." Countess Evelyn clipped.

"But Granny-"

"No but's just hop to it" her grandmother's brown eyes turned so stern that everyone in the room, even Batman flinched.

Swift could not blame him. Her Grandmother could be quite terrifying when provoked.

_Like tickling a sleeping dragon_

But still she did not make a move.

"Is there any reason why I must go?"

Countess Evelyn's eyes narrowed dangerously, but she complied with her granddaughter's question.

"We have to plan your grandfather's funeral. And then we must settle his estates."

"And then will I be able to go back to Gotham?"

"…No…you will not" .

There were gasps and several murmurs from the Team and their guests as both the Dark Knight's protégé's cried out at once.

"What?"

"But Granny-" Swift looked imploringly at her Batman who'd opened his mouth to speak. He obviously was as shocked as any of them.

_Typical Granny. She's told them one thing in the meeting but she plans on doing something completely different._

"Granny I can't just-"

"This is not up for debate" the countess fixed Robin with a piercing look. "And as for you Richard. I am sorry but you will have to end this…this _fling_ you're having with my granddaughter once and for all"

"FLING!" Kid Flash cried out spitting most of his food out of his mouth.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about lady but-" Superboy growled angrily on behalf of Robin whose face had turned livid, but Red Arrow and Miss Martian were quick to hold him back as he balked forwards.

Aqualad spoke up and his voice was rather tense with suppressed anger as he saw the hurt look flash over Swift's face once more. "With all due respect Lady Evelyn, what Dick and Christine share is no mere…_fling_…as you put it. They have a real bond. You can't just tell them to let it go so easily and forget it"

"And I won't have to. Time shall do it for me." The Countess turned her sharp eyes on Swift who quickly grabbed onto Vanessa and backed away.

"You younglings think that what you perceive as love at this age will be love that lasts. But it doesn't."

"Oh so that's how its going to go!" Swift cried out tearing off her mask so that she could look her Grandmother squarely in the eyes. "You can't have happiness with man you love anymore so now I can't either"

"This is not _love_! It's just infatuation!"

"No it's not!"

"Evelyn enough" Batman growled finally finding his voice after so long, but the older woman cut across him. "This has gone far enough. Who are you to say that-"

"I am her Grandmother BRUCE! I think I am more than entitled to talk to my grandchild however I may please"

"Not when you're trying to tear her life apart"

"I'm doing this for her own good!"

"Her own good?! You mean like how you tried to isolate her from the world after what happened to Stuart?"

"Don't you dare bring my son into this!" Countess Evelyn almost screeched.

Christine choked down a sob as she held onto Vanessa tightly in her arms. The little girl was clutching at her older sisters body and had buried her head into her shoulder so tight that the latter could feel her frightened tears staining her uniform.

"If it wasn't for you my Stuart wouldn't have ever discovered those horrible drugs in the first place and he wouldn't have killed himself!"

"EVELYN!" Batman cried out but too late. Christine's head snapped up.

"Drugs? But…the report said…the report said that papa was stressed…that he hung himself because he had suffered from severe anxiety and depression…there was no drugs…"

There was a silence far denser than any that had occurred before. Christine looked up at Batman who's white slits in the cowl were wide and his jaw very, very tense.

"...Dad? There was no drugs…right?"

But he shut his eyes.

Christine felt her heart almost stop.

"Oh god…You falsified it" she whispered, but the sound carried around the empty room as loud as a bullet.

"No-"

"You falsified the report…"

"No I-"

"You-you-YOU!"

"Christine -" Dark Knight strode forwards but Christine took a step back from him shaking her head.

She cried out tears beginning a fresh "How could you not tell me! About this"

"You…You were too young-you wouldn't have understood-"

"That's always your excuse!" She spat "keep it a secret because I'm just a kid that doesn't know anything."

"Christine please I can explain-"

"He was my father! He was OUR FATHER!" She cried out as Vanessa let loose a loud wail.

"How could you lie to us about this?"

"Christine lower your voice your sister-" Countess Evelyn's voice shook as she tried to speak up but Christine snarled.

"Don't you dare talk to me! In fact I don't want to speak to either of you ever again!"

She turned to both the adults, her eyes now dry but her face angry. Evelyn was shocked at this sudden display of resentment but Batman was truly despondent, even if the proof was only visible to his protégé's.

He opened his mouth to speak but Christine was already striding past him without a backwards glance.

"Come on Nessa, let's find you a room"

"A room?" the little girl hiccupped.

"Yes…you're going to stay here with me for a while. No grown-ups, just you and me and the team ok?"

"O-ok" Vanessa nodded burying her head into her sister's shoulder as she was carried down the corridor and out of sight.

* * *

><p><strong>Mount Justice, May 30 2011, 03:07 EDT<strong>

Batman stalked down the quiet dark hallways of the mountain. He knew he shouldn't be here. His presence alone was breaking his promise to let his daughter be in her grief. But he couldn't help himself.

She had to know. She had to know the truth now or else he'd lose her forever. And he couldn't bear the thought of that.

His eyes turned to a photograph he'd had in his hands. He'd not let go of it ever since he'd first come back to the Batcave yesterday morning.

It was of him, or rather a much younger version of him, lying on his bed with his mouth hanging slightly open and dark circles under his eyes. On top of his bare and slightly bruised chest a baby girl, with pale skin and dark brown hair wearing a tiny white coloured onesie with a pink sakura pattern, was splayed out on her stomach with his large hand laying on her back keeping her close and secure against him.

His heart clenched at the sight of the sleeping babe's face as he wondered whether she would be asleep by now.

But something told him she wasn't. Actually it was his holo computer that did.

He quickly slipped into the shadows as he descended into the large underground grotto. It was no mean feat even by his standards; the walls seemed dull enough in the dark of night the lights were brightly lit.

He could clearly see her sitting by the side of the pool her legs into her as she rested her head upon her knees.

"Dick I've been thinking" she muttered and Batman pulled back into the shadows once more as the boy wonder surfaced from the watery pool.

"You should give your head a break from that" he smirked softly at his partner.

"Dick I'm trying to be serious" Christine groaned.

"So am I" Dick raised a brow as he pulled himself out of the water to sit beside her. He was only in his underwear but that didn't seem to embarrass either of them.

Indeed Christine comfortably leant her head in on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her and kissed her temple.

"Sorry…" she mumbled.

"Don't be" Dick murmured "I mean…it has been a very disastrous kind of day, heavy on the dis"

"Disastrous doesn't even cover it" she snorted, but then sniffled.

"Dick…I want…I just wanted to tell you that…I've been thinking about what you said….you know about…about us stopping being sidekicks"

_What?_

Batman's heart froze in his chest and he quietly gripped at the wall he was leaning against just to steady himself.

"You really mean it?" Dick sounded so hopeful and so happy at the prospect, albeit slightly nervous.

"uh huh…I mean… We're old enough now to do most patrols on our own. And heck look last year we even managed to take on Vandal Savage and his henchmen on our own. Maybe it is time we…moved on."

"Together?" Dick smirked.

"Obviously" Christine rolled her eyes fondly.

But no sooner had they stopped talking their faces softened into something tender.

_No…_

The Dark Knight didn't know how but he somehow managed to keep his footsteps silent as he stumbled towards the entrance to the grotto. This was some bad dream. It had to be. There was no way he was losing both of his protégé's in one fell swoop.

And yet…

They were always so comfortable around each other…so natural and trusting. Even from the first day, they'd met. He'd been happy for them to have found each other but he should've seen the signs earlier…he should've known...

But before he could help himself he turned around for once last glimpse and almost wished he hadn't.

Batman's heart sank further as he beheld not two gangly playful teenagers, but a young man and woman with a bond between them stronger than the gravitational pull of their solar system's sun, holding onto each other like their skins were soldered together.

"I don't care what your grandma says." Dick breathed against her lips "You're my partner…both on and off the field…and I don't want anyone else to have my back but you"

"same here…no one else but you"

The kiss they shared was soft…soft but full of love and passion. Pure and whole like them.

Batman turned unable to keep his eyes on them any longer as pain shot through him at a speed that even he was unprepared for.

He stopped to catch his breath in the darkened corridor clutching at his chest.

The whip wounds had opened up once more and they were probably bleeding.

_Not that it matters…_

He thought grimly as he fell to the floor with a loud thump

_Not when you yourself are shattered…_

His vision began to cloud as the sound of hurried footsteps came down the hall towards him.

"Dad!"

"Go" he growled as he felt two pairs of hands reach out to turn him over.

"Bruce come on we've got to get you back to the med bay" Dick's voice sounded just as worried as Christine's but that wasn't helping the Dark Knight at all.

With a great gargantuan effort, he managed to hoist himself up to stand, leaning heavily against the wall for support.

"Dad take it easy! Please! You're bleeding again!" Christine reached forwards to try and take an arm but-

_WHAM!_

She flew backwards into the other wall such was the force of his arm alone.

"Chris!" Dick ran to his partner as she sat up groggily. She'd hit her head on the wall hard and was feeling very dizzy. But not dizzy enough that she couldn't whimper.

"Dad…"

"No…no more…" Batman growled down at her "your father…your real father died four years ago Christine…And I cannot change that…Just as I cannot change your decision"

"Daddy…"

"Go…both of you…and do what you want. Be whoever you want, be with whoever you want. I won't stop you anymore."

"Bruce…" Dick breathed holding onto a now sobbing Christine, his own hands trembling.

The Batman looked down on him and even though his eyes were narrowed, they could see his jaw trembling slightly.

"Look after her"

And with that he vanished into the darkness.

Alone once more.

* * *

><p>Whoa! talk about angst-angst-angst!<p>

(must be all my end of term stress...now that the holidays are here I'm finally getting to vent it out thank god!)

So yeah things are pretty hectic in this chapter. and they get even sadder next one...but hopefully it gets better soon.

usual disclaimer + I hope I haven't gone too OOC on some characters. the nerve of Christine's grandmother. hope you don't mind reading her because you are going to see a lot of her in Chapter 6. Also look forward to a lot of explanations (which means that it will probs be a very lo-ong chapter)

Keep R&Ring for more


	8. Episode 7

**Episode 7: Ghosts**

**Isle of Brumalund, June 2 2011, 08:04 BST**

When Christine Evelyn Hallows beheld the sight of the old castle in the distance through the large windshield of the black Bentley as it smoothly drove up the road, she instantly succumbed to the urge to turn her eyes away and back down to her neck on which a choker sat. It was a black ribbon with a purple stone set in the centre that sat nicely on the hollow of her pale peach coloured throat.

Thanks to the glamour charm, her skin, hair and eyes was no longer white or purple anymore. Now it was back to its original shades of Caucasian and dark chocolate brown locks and warm brown irises. Pity…she was just starting to really get used to the other form.

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

_Christine…_

The voice was distant and smooth.

_Christine…_

So smooth…almost melodic…

_Christine… Come forth_

"I'm here" she mumbled.

_Christine…you must come quick!_

"Where?" she breathed. But even as the word slipped past her lip the vision of a large mountain just beyond a vast moor. So vast…so empty…so cold and-

"Chris?"

She jumped as she felt a familiar warm hand squeeze her shoulder.

"Whoa steady there missy!" a boy's voice

"I'm fine Dick…" she murmured, keeping her eyes fixed to the little four year old girl to her right who was snoozing in her car seat.

Dick Grayson's eyes softened sadly as he wrapped an arm around Christine's shoulders but she didn't look up, not even when the car's driver began to decelerate to park in a cobblestoned driveway.

It was only when she felt her partner's hand tug her out into the open that she made to move to pick up Vanessa in her arms. The little girl gave a slurred grumble but otherwise stayed fast asleep, her mouth opened as she drooled a little on her elder sister's shoulder.

The cottage before her was beautiful, almost like a fairy-tale gingerbread house with white bricks and a dark roof that was currently dusted with clumps of white powder.

Wait white?

"Dick it's summer right?" Christine tilted her head to the side as a small bit of snow fell down from one of the roof's trimmings.

"Yeah" Dick frowned glancing at her with a raised eyebrow.

"It's bin happening fur a while, lass" a familiar voice spoke up behind them and they both turned to see the driver, a young skittish man with a thick thatch of dirty blonde hair who was currently settling their suitcases on the ground, which was also covered in a thin sheet of frost. His Scottish accent was extremely thick but thankfully easy enough to decipher.

"Ever sin th' auld lord died. Snow, snow, snow, a' day a' night. Even most o' th' ponds ur frozen ower in th' moors up north. Mah granny 'n' th' ither auld lassies say tis fur o' th' Hallows fowk curse"

"Curse?" Dick looked at Christine who pursed her lips.

"According to old legends whenever a lord or lady of the land dies, the land plunges into winter until the heir is ready to step up to the plate and thaw it all away."

"And what if the heir doesn't come forth or dies?"

"Then th' land wull be forever frozen in an eternal winter won't it?" The driver snorted "If yer believe those sort's a' things. Personally ah think tis a hail load o' rubbish. Ah mean we're in th' twenty first century nae th' fifth. Likelie th' effects o' global warming finally kicking in"

"Yeah probably" Christine nodded though Dick could tell her heart was not in it.

The car door slammed and all three of them looked up to see the tall figure of Bruce Wayne stepping out of the front passenger seat of the car quickly re zip the front of his dark snow jacket as he strode towards them.

He paused for a moment unsurely looking all over the house save for the front porch where both his charges were standing.

"Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be. Thank you umm" Christine turned to the driver who quickly tipped his hat to her and smiled widely.

"Basil, Basil McDouglas, lass. 'n' there's na need tae thank me. A'm juist happy tae be daein' mah job. Mr Wayne"

He nodded at Bruce who nodded back a steely, before scarpering off back into the car at top speed.

Dick grinned but Christine sighed as the black car quickly zipped down the lonely road once more.

"Dad, did you really have to do that?"

"Father's privilege"

They all chuckled softly only for the sound to fall away into a very awkward pause.

It was the first time the three of them actually had smiled in each other's company since Bruce had yelled at them that night. However it did not stop them from functioning as a team, though if Christine had anything to say about it, patrols were definitely not as enjoyable as they'd once been.

A tiny groan hit their ears.

They all quickly looked as Vanessa's head rose sleepily up from her sister's shoulder.

"Sissy…cold…"

"Oh right" Christine tightened her grip on Vanessa as Bruce quickly opened the door.

She winced as a blast of warm air suddenly hit her face from the insides of the cottages now dark hallway that they had all entered.

It was long and wide with paintings hanging all along the rich brown wooden walls, all of them beautiful, all of them very old.

"Nothing has changed" she muttered as she and Nessa passed by a large portrait to her left, of an old man in an old British Admiral's naval uniform of the early twentieth century.

"talk about big belly" Dick smirked eyeing the belt around the man's waistline that was almost stretched to the point of bursting.

"He's an aristocratic fat cat, of course he's big" Christine rolled her eyes quickly striding on ahead.

Dick turned to Bruce.

"She really hates this place doesn't she?"

"Yes" the dark knight's eyes narrowed as they caught sight of her stop to stand at the threshold of the door at the end of the hall.

"Then why did she want to come?" the Boy wonder frowned.

"I don't know…"

They both stopped behind her. Christine however did not move.

"Chris?" both Bruce and Dick leaned over her shoulder and saw to their great surprise that she was grinning.

"Those idiots" she snorted shaking her head fondly.

They all looked into the room.

There, strewn over the couches and on thick mattresses on the floor in front of a roaring fireplace, eleven familiar teenagers were snoring loudly alongside a great big white wolf.

"pff! Ha" Dick clapped a hand over his mouth as he caught sight of Freddy snuggle into George as he roll over away from her and his brother Martin, only to drape himself on top of Roy who was half draped over Kaldur who was back to back with Conner who in turn was outer spooning M'gann who was surrounded by, Zatanna and Raquel and Artemis leaving Wally to be pushed to the edge next to Wolf who was currently licking his face.

"Artemis stop that I wanna sleep" he groaned without opening his eyes.

Christine's eyes glinted as a wicked smirk crossed over her face.

"Dick"

"Yeah"

"Get your camera, this is absolute gold!"

* * *

><p><strong>Isle of Brumalund, June 2 2011, 13:57 BST<strong>

They were in the cobblestoned streets of the large town of Bruma walking around in a large group.

To many of the locals it would seem that they were suddenly playing host to a group of interesting, if slightly amusing, teenage tourists. However those early assumptions were quickly dashed by many at the sight of the two sisters. One a child barely out of infancy the other a girl fast on her way to womanhood, both holding each other's hands as they walked into the town square.

What with that brown hair and those fine features, no matter how old or how young, nearly all the people in the square knew a member of the Hallows family when they saw one.

Indeed one shopkeeper tending to her bookshops front display waved at Christine enthusiastically as she, Vanessa, Artemis and M'gann passed by.

"Hello Miss Hallows"

"Hello Dorothy" Christine smiled and waved back, however once they were out of the shopkeepers eyesight she sighed heavily.

_You ok?_

M'gann asked over the mental link.

_I'm fine_

The girl wonder gave a small smile.

_Just soaking it all in…Its been a while since I was last here._

_This place its so…so…it's like we're in an old fairy tale or something_

Artemis gave a low whistle under her breath as they walked towards the great wooden front doors of the large church on the south end of the square.

They were more than three meters tall and iron clad, but at this moment in time they were standing open, as three people stepped out into the cold square, all of which made Christine's innards freeze to ice.

_Oh no is that-_

M'gann gasped

_You've gotta be kidding_

Artemis gulped as the tall imposing figure of Lady Hallows smiled widely at the woman with the short blonde hair in the red dress who stood alongside a tall man with a bald head and wearing a dark thick woollen trench coat to protect him from the cold.

_Uh guys is it just me or is it getting colder? _

Christine heard Wally's voice shiver over the link, but couldn't bring herself to control the sudden burst of icy fury that erupted inside of her as Scarlett Tailors and Lex Luthor both turned in her groups direction.

_NO! NO WAY! NOT THAT BLOODY BITCH! NOT ON MY TURF!_

"Why Christine isn't this a lovely surprise? Lex and I were just talking about you, we're going to hold our wedding here in this church and we were wondering if you'd like to be one of our flower girls" Scarlett smiled wide, her hazel eyes coldly gleaming with malicious pleasure as she caught sight of the little girl hiding behind her sister's legs "Oh and Nessa could join in too, she'd look so sweet-"

"It's Vanessa to you Scarlett" Christine clipped icily the wind suddenly whipping around their spot, harsh and cold.

"Christine manners" Lady Hallows snapped looking down on her granddaughter, her gaze imperious as they looked over Artemis and M'gann, both of whom were dressed in warm but casual civvies.

"Why? I don't see any _decent_ company with you" Christine glared at Lex Luthor who chuckled back in her face.

"Well, well, Lady Evelyn you were right. She does have quite some spunk doesn't she?"

"Spunk or not that does not excuse bad mouthing her mother and soon to be step father"

_Hang on WHAT!_

_HOLY-_

_WAIT A MOMENT!_

Christine winced slightly as every one of her friends voices yelled in her head through the link, but she was quick to rally at once.

"She is not my mother. She never has been and she never will be. And I already have a father" she grit her teeth as Luthor's eyes narrowed on her, before turning to look at her grandmother. "Nessa and I will make it to Grandpa's funeral tomorrow. But after that we're _through_"

Lady Hallow's eyes widened with hurt and shock.

"Chrissy-"

"No Gran-Lady Hallows….No more"

And picking Vanessa up once more into her arms, Christine turned her back on her grandmother and walked out of the square, Artemis and M'gann following quickly behind her.

From a table of a nearby café, two men one blonde one black haired, both in snow gear turned to look at each other.

"Wow…that was tense" the blonde man, who also had a beard to match sighed.

"Tense? Ollie that Luthor…and that…that woman are trying to take Bruce's kid" the dark haired man bristled.

"Oy now don't get your tights in a bundle Supes" Green Arrow, or Oliver Queen as was now the case, put his hands up to placate the angrily twitching Superman/Clark Kent. "I get it. Those two are a match made in hell but getting mad won't help Bruce or anyone. Especially when Dr Fate says that this area was suddenly _magically_ charged"

"I don't know about magic but it's certainly colder" Clark grumbled pushing up his glasses up his nose, more out of habit than anything else.

"I think I know why" Oliver leant forwards and brought his voice down to a murmur "Young Chris's powers."

"What about them?"

"Well according to Dinah and Roy their intensity is governed by her emotions. Apparently when she's in a negative state of mind, they can be quite devastating and given what we've just seen, I'm willing to bet that she'd be feeling pretty upset and pissed off round about now"

Clark frowned.

"But something's still off" he muttered. "I've seen Christine use those powers when she's pissed off…none of those times were any of her attacks as strong as this. And I definitely know that they didn't have the power to change the weather like this" he pointed upwards towards the now very over cast sky, that barely half an hour ago had been beautiful and clear.

Oliver shivered as a cold gust of wind whipped past their table, flipping up the small table cloth, which thankfully was held down by their cups of coffee.

By god, he knew they were far up North, but this weather…

"Hey Clark…"

"Hmm?"

"You remember when we first met Zatara"

"What, you mean when that nature tree spirit tried to take over Manhattan?"

"Yeah, let's forget about that for a moment shall we" Oliver shuddered, though this time it wasn't because of the chill "Anyways don't you remember the story he told us, when we were hiding out at his place."

"What? The one about the Seven Elemental magicians, no wait, weren't they called the Sovereigns"

"Yeah those. Don't you remember that poem he said about them?"

"I think you mean prophecy" Clark raised his eyebrows and Oliver groaned.

"Poem, prophecy, Tomatos, tomatoes. Any way how did it go? I remember there was something about a grey door…"

"When the Grey Door opens," Clark sighed "the darkness will unfurl once more. But with that darkness, so shall a light shine, and Seven Warriors shall rise, from the depths of time. Children of the Earth, the Wind, the Water. Children of the Flame and the Light. Children of Shadow and of Life. Arise from your slumber, and protect us from strife. For if the Grey Door opens, the world shall fall like before. And evil shall rule forever more."

Oliver stared at the man of steel with wide eyes.

"How the hell did you memorise all that?"

"I'm not sure…" Clark shrugged "It was probably so archaic that it just stuck with me I guess. But I still don't see what this has to do with what just happened."

"Neither do I" Oliver admitted "but my gut tells me that we will soon… and I always trust my gut on these kinds of things"

Clark nodded.

"Well I just hope you can trust your gut to pull you through the night." He muttered as a tiny white snowflake drifted down onto their table. "Because it's gonna be freezing"

"…Dammit"

* * *

><p><strong>Isle of Brumalund, June 2 2011, 23:29 BST<strong>

Conner Kent rolled his eyes, trying his best to resist the urge he had to pummel Wally into silence.

He and the boys of the team were all sleeping on the floor once more, whilst they let the girls sleep upstairs in the guest rooms. The boy of steel wouldn't have minded. He'd rather have M'gann get as much rest as she needed, but there was only so far that he could go sleeping next to their resident speedster without cracking.

_Just keep breathing, try and focus on breathing. Breathing and nothing else._

But it was no use. The quieter he tried to be, the noisier the others seemed to be around him.

_Creeee-aak!_

Conner narrowed his eyes at the ceiling.

_What the?_

The creak sounded again, this time accompanied by the softest steps.

From the weight of the thumps he could tell they were old enough to be at least a teenagers in size, but it was the catlike softness that gave it away.

_Ro-Dick or Sw-Christine…_

He quietly shook his head to himself. He still was finding it difficult to use the boy and girl wonder's real names. Whilst their real names felt right on his tongue it didn't stop him from feeling slightly foolish. He had in his whole year since his awakening at CADMUS, only known them by their hero names. He had never bothered or questioned their true identities. Like a child he'd just simply labelled them as they had taught him to do so and seen what they'd taught him to see. Was so much to them that he truly did not know and now he felt so distant. He didn't like feeling distant…it made him feel…unhappy…

As naturally as he could he rolled over so that he was lying on his side, his front facing the cottages main corridor that lead to the front door.

He shut one of his eyes but kept the other one open and fixed on the foot of the winding staircase that led upstairs as a small slender shadow quickly tiptoed down onto the ground.

He quickly shut his eyes as their long silvery hair swished about them as they turned their heads to look in his direction, purple eyes glinting eerily in the dark, almost like a cats would.

He waited till he heard he padding of feet slowly but surely fade and become distant. He opened his eyes just in time to see the moonlight stream through the front door as Christine opened it and quietly slipped outside.

As quietly as he dared, Conner slunk out of his bed and over his friends, tiptoeing with surprising grace and silence for someone of his height and build.

It had been a long hard slog, but all that earlier training with Batman and Black Canary last year had paid off. He now had more _refined motor skills_ as Red Tornado had mechanically put it, and was now currently working on how to utilise them with his powers, which Superman was currently helping with.

He had to admit, it had been awkward at first. After all those months of being ignored, it felt rather odd to be guided by the man of steel, who in turn looked rather out of place with the prospect of teaching his clone. But now six months had passed and things were defiantly looking up. Superboy had recently been able to unlock a new power, his super speed, which whilst not as fast as the Flash was definitely enough to pack a punch in a fight if used correctly. Some things like the flight or the heat vision, he'd never have due to his botched genetics, but he had also worked on away to soften and control his super jumps so that now they barely made a tiny dent in the ground or a sound when he was focusing on the landing.

Such a skill was very handy at this moment in time when he quietly slid out the front door and looked up into the sky, where he saw her hovering a good kilometre away.

She was flying gracefully through the air like usual…but there was something off about the look on her face.

He frowned quietly jumping after her, not caring if he was in his pyjamas nor indeed if he had any shoes on. His skin was invulnerable anyway, it wouldn't make much difference.

It took him about five minutes of jumping before he felt the cold winds whip his face.

_She's flying north?_

He bristled as his feet hit grassy turf covered in light frost. He looked down mid jump, he seemed to be travelling over a wide moor towards a mountain, whose snow-capped peak was disappearing into the moonlit silver clouds above.

It was a beautiful, desolate place…so barren, so lonely…there were not even any roads close by save for a small dirt track just behind him.

Conner squinted as he saw Christine's speck in the distance suddenly halt in mid-air, before slowly descending down to sit upon a large rock the size of an Elephant that sat in the middle of the plains.

It barely took him one jump to get within fifty meters of her, by which time she'd turned around to face him.

Had it not been for the tearful glower over her features, Conner might have thought her beautiful, what with the way her skin and hair looked like it had been carved out of fresh snow as it glimmered under the moonlight as she sat only clad in a simple white long sleeveless night dress. However he turned to look down at the grass beneath his bare feet, gulping as if he were a nervous boy that had walked in upon his mother when she was in the middle of an important meeting.

"Why?" She muttered, her voice raspy and throaty. "Why did you follow me?"

"I heard you leaving" Conner mumbled looking up at her unsurely "you…you've been sad ever since the town square…I was worried"

Christine's eyes softened at once.

"I'm sorry…I know this all must be the worst trip for all of you. And I'm not helping with my mood, I should probably try and be a better host"

"Your grandpa did just die" Conner shrugged "I think you've got more right to be upset than accommodating. Besides…we all did crash your house"

"My father's actually" Christine looked down to the surface of the rock on which she sat. It was so smooth and round like a giant globe. "I don't inherit everything till I'm eighteen…that's probably why Luthor and Scarlett want to get their hands on me and Nessa fast"

She gave a heavy sigh, leaning back on her hands to look up at the night sky which was clear and full of stars.

"I'm tired Conner" she breathed a tear rolling down her cheek "I'm so tired of it all. The money, the status, the high life…you take that all away from people and they still are disgusting pieces of work …like those imbeciles in the aristocracy" she shook her head and sneered "Even my own granny…but I guess I should have known. Hers and the family image always did come first to her. And then everyone's true happiness could go to hell. Nessa's…mine…even my father's"

Christine didn't look up as Conner deftly hopped up to sit beside her on the large rock. She just continued to gaze up at the stars, tears silently streaming down her cheeks

"You must really miss him" the super clone's voice was soft and gentle as his hand which quietly made its way around the girl's shoulder, pulling her into his side as she nodded.

"He took my childhood in his stride. But he was gone-"

"-when autumn came" Conner finished softly.

"You know Les Miserables"

"Only because you love playing it full blast when you practice your ballet" Conner smiled down at her. "By the way I was thinking…there is one good thing that would come of you being adopted by Luthor and your mother?"'

"What?"

"We'd actually be siblings"

"Oh yeah…we would wouldn't we?" Christine gave a chocked smile "But you don't need to have legal forms to be my family Conner."

"Don't let your boyfriend hear you say that"

"Actually Conner it should be not letting dad hear me say that"

They both chuckled softly, Christine pulling up her knees so that she could rest her chin on them.

"This place is so quiet" Conner murmured looking at the noiseless moors around them.

"My Grandpa used to take me here whenever I used to visit as a kid" Christine shut her eyes allowing her head to lean into the side of his muscular pectoral, his warmth feeling wonderful against the cold of her skin.

"He used to have this old green Land Rover. He'd pack it full of stuff and we'd come set up camp down there" she pointed to the flat grass at the bottom of the rock "and one time I remember he brought his telescope along and we got to see Saturn and all its rings through it. And there was that other time we also got to see the Aurora Borealis-"

"Wow…that must have been amazing" Conner breathed looking up at the great bright expanse high above them. It was perhaps the most glittering assemblage of stars anyone could ever ask for, and just the thought of those wonderful glowing streams flowing through them in the sky above…

"It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen" Christine nodded. "Though that sunrise over the French Alps was absolutely stunning"

"You travelled a lot?"

"Papa's job…" she shrugged. "He would've kept me at my grandparents…but…well…you saw how my grandmother is…she'd rather keep me locked in the castle towers my whole life than allow me to be a normal kid. If I hadn't led the life I've led I wouldn't have been myself…I would have been a mere little show pony to appear at events, pretty like a doll and just as empty headed. I would have been fed lies, educated to believe things I truly did not want to believe, danced with demons who would have used me for their own means. And then when I was old enough I would have a marriage arranged for me to seal a business contract…as if I were merely a girl in the bloody Victorian Era!"

"Is that why you want to bring Nessa back to Gotham?" Conner frowned at her bitterness. "You think she'll be used like that?"

"I _know_ she will be used like that." Christine spat. "Or worse if Luthor gets hold of her…she won't even be a child then…it'll be like it was with you…he'd plan to make a weapon out of her…a weapon that would bring me down…and it would bring me down because…because I care…and he and that bitch fiancé of his knows…that no matter how much time would pass and no matter what would happen…I can't…I would never forgive myself if I'd harm her…because…"

"Because you love her…" Conner whispered as she snivelled.

"She's one of the few things I have left of my old life that's still pure and true" Christine wiped at her eyes as she looked on the ground at the rock's feet, her eyes fixating on two glowing smoke like figures emerging from a translucent tent.

_"Papa! Papa! Look Stars!" the little girl with dark brown hair squealed with excitement as she ran out the front cloth flap. _

_The man that followed chuckled, his handsome face split in a wide grin of affection as the child ran over the frost covered ground her hands reaching up to catch the tiny white particles softly floating down towards her._

_"Ha-ha! Christine, those aren't stars" _

_"They're not?"_

_"No missy they're not…but they're something just as wonderful…it's snow"_

_"Snow?"_

_"Yep, see?" the man gently took one of the girls wrists and directed it so that her outstretched palm caught a small snowflake._

_"Ah! It's cold" the girl squealed and giggled with delight before promptly jumping up to try and catch another flake in her hand._

The upturned corners of Christine's lips slowly but surely fell as the two imaginary figures vanished from the point she was looking.

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

_How is it that such a fond memory…can bring the pain right back…and drill the hole deeper?_

* * *

><p>A shadow hid itself behind a small rock on the moorlands, peering out from behind so as to look upon the snow white girl and the super clone as they both sat in companionable silence atop the giant smooth boulder.<p>

The air was calm about them all now…the girl's distress had abated somewhat after she and the boy had shared a few words.

With barely a sound the shadow brought a hand up to its ear and there was an intake of breath as it opened its mouth to whisper, only for a voice on the breeze to echo through the cold night air.

"Papa…why did you have to go?"

The shadow's hand stilled beside its head which quickly peered out of its hiding place. The metallic bird skeleton mask glimmered only for a small moment as the moon was quickly blocked by a small passing cloud. But that didn't lessen the visual of the target.

A pair of eyes behind the mask softened with pity at the sight of the girl's face. So lost and confused as tears streamed down. She wasn't sobbing but at the same time the sorrow in her expression could not be plainer.

The shadow slipped back behind the smaller rock and removed its hand from its ear.

This job would have to wait for another time.

* * *

><p><strong>Isle of Brumalund, June 3 2011, 09:12 BST<strong>

"Christine?"

Her hands hovered over the small makeup kit laid out in front of her…though they made no move to take any of the items.

She barely turned round or responded when Bruce entered the room dressed in a plain black suit.

The dark knight's eyes softened as they caught sight of his protégé's rather hollow expression as she stared blankly into the vanity table mirror.

She was wearing a simple black dress, with long sleeves and a skirt that went down to her knees over a pair of black stockings and shoes. Over her neck she wore the glamour charm which turned her hair, which was loose, eyes and skin back to normal brown and Caucasian tones.

"You ready?" Bruce asked softly, stepping up to stand behind her.

Christine merely nodded silently, her ears twitching as she heard the fervent scrambling from outside.

The sun had just risen over the horizon when she and Conner had finally returned back to the cottage only to find that several television and news reporters were already trying their best to set up their equipment outside the front door of the cottage.

It had taken very sneaky and stealthy slinking from both of them to sneak through the kitchen window at the back of the house when no one was looking.

By the time the others in the house had awoken, there were around twenty different reporters standing in waiting by the sides of the driveway.

_Like vultures would a dying animal._

"Do you want to go out the back way?" Bruce's hand on her shoulder quickly brought the girl wonder out of her bitter thoughts.

"Let them come" She muttered darkly shutting the make-up kit with a snap "I don't really care. They'll be bound to talk anyway"

And talk they did.

However Christine chose to merely pull on a long thick black pea coat and walk towards the black car that had been waiting in the driveway for her, Bruce, Dick and Nessa, who hid herself in her sisters arms as the bright lights of the photographers flashes went off in their faces.

Had it not been for the four years of constant attention from the paparazzi hounds of Gotham, Christine would have taken one of the reporter's microphones from their hands and shoved it viciously down their throats.

She was glad when the sidled into the back seat of the car.

The team, having no invitation to the funeral were going to be following high above them in the cloaked bio ship.

She sighed as the car's driver turned back to look at her Dick and Nessa.

"Everyone please be sure to fasten your seatbelts"

"Alfred!" Dick exclaimed happily as he joined his partner and her sister. Christine beamed warmly, feeling her cheeks hurt. It had felt like a lifetime since she'd smiled that wide.

"It's good to see you Alfie"

"It's good to see you too young miss" Alfred's aged eyes crinkled as he smiled fondly as he turned back to turn on the ignition of the car and drive out onto the winding road that wound its way through the tall forest.

"Now there is something very important I must ask. Will I or will I not be arranging your bedrooms to be readied when we return to Gotham tomorrow. I must say it's been rather dreary without yours and Young Master Dick's company at the Manor."

There was a sticky silence as the bat and his two birds quickly averted their gazes.

Alfred rolled his eyes.

"I understand you are all at difficult crossroads, but you youngsters are still not legally of the right age to live outside of your designated residence."

"We know" Dick mumbled sheepishly as Alfred turned an imperious eye on him in the rear-view mirror.

"Good. And on that note Master Bruce, am I correct when I say that you have arranged for legal custody of little miss Nessa?"

Christine's face snapped right up to look at Bruce, who nodded from his seat in the front passenger side.

"I have. Fox is currently running through the paper work with the Lawyers until I return." He turned back to smile back at Christine who's face suddenly was alight with shock and joy.

"You…you really mean it? Nessa can stay with us at Gotham?"

"If she wants to? What say you Nessa" Bruce looked back at Nessa who was tilting her head to the side confusedly "Do you want to come back to Gotham with your sister"

Nessa looked like Christmas had come early as she squealed loudly.

"YES! YES! YES! YES YES!"

* * *

><p><strong>Isle of Brumalund, June 3 2011, 11:12 BST<strong>

Christine stood in front of the tall grey doors, flanked with two beautiful angelic creatures of white marble that stood high above all the rest of the gravestones in the grave yard.

People in black milled about her, all of them wrapping themselves in their jackets or shawls to protect themselves from the chilly air that had now become so common even in these months of summertime.

She looked down at the flower in her hand, a single white lily. It wasn't the biggest nor the flashiest of flowers that had been brought to the funeral, but it was beautiful.

Her feet were soft as they padded up the steps and pushed open the doors. If anyone saw her going in no one would've thought of it.

It was the Hallows Family Crypt after all.

Taking out her Wayne-tech phone from her small black bag she brought up the flashlight application and at once the dark stone corridor was flooded with white light.

Her grip on the lily stalk in her hand tightened as she caught sight of cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling above as she approached the topmost step of a deep winding spiralling solid stone staircase.]

_Typical!_

She coughed as with every step down into the shadows of the vaults a fine powdery dust from years gone by, flew up in front of her face. The place stank of stale air, though she could feel a draft from high above where the ceiling had cracked and weathered away.

When she finally reached the halfway point the light from her phone suddenly spread itself out as she descended into a wider space.

As she stepped off the stairs she looked around curiously. The ceiling above seemed to be held up by large stone columns, cracked but still rather solid for their age. The only thing that was different was the floor, which was covered in slabs of dust covered black marble. But it was the walls that held Christine's attention for in each was a uniform series of deep alcoves, dug into the stone, each filled with a wooden coffin.

She walked past each one trailing her fingers over the stone between each hole. Some of the coffins, especially the ones towards the left had names and dates inscribed on golden plates on the sides, for their occupants had died within the past three hundred years

_Gabrielle Hallows, Theodore William Hallows, Margot Hallows, Josephine Hallows, Peter Mathew Hallows, Stuart Jason Hallows, William Hallows III…_

She paused as she reached the corner where two coffins both made with modern hinges and with black painted wood sat one above the other.

_Stanley Stuart Hallows Snr _

_Stanley Stuart Hallows Jnr_

"Hello Grandpa…Papa…" she murmured tracing a hand over the foot of her father's coffin which was just at her waist level.

"This was not the way I'd thought I'd see either of you this summer. But then again so much has happened hasn't it?"

She sighed heavily and leant into the stone wall beside her.

"You know you could've told me" she twirled her hand around a faint ribbon of air she saw through the corner of her eye "all those years the both of you were alive, you could have told me I'd get these powers…that I'd turn into a bloody ice queen. But you had to keep your secrets didn't you? And now look!"

She slid down the wall and as she flumped to sit the dust once again poofed out from beneath her.

"I'm stuck talking to the two of you as you lay dead in a crypt like a crazy person. Oh well" she ran a hand through her hair "At least that bitch isn't here to see this."

She stared at the wood of her father's coffin her eyes trailing over a small crack towards one of its hinges. It was so deep and so splintered…it almost like it had been broken.

She blinked.

_Wait what broken?!_

She quickly scrambled to her feet and quick as a flash had grabbed the foot of the coffin and dragged it out. With a wooden thud the head of the box hit the floor hard, the sound echoing eerily in the still stale air about the underground room.

Christine however didn't care as she ran her phone's light over the surface of the coffin.

There were cracks all over the wood, in spots close to the hinges and at the corners. Cracks like the type one would get in a cardboard shoebox if it was forcibly ripped apart.

Her heart racing at the speed of bullet rounds from a machine gun, she stepped back away from the coffin and brought up her hands across her.

She felt the hem of her dress whip up around her as she summoned the winds around each and every one of her digits. As soon as she could feel her hair begin to fly about her face she quickly swiped her hands around in double crossing chops, which created a scissor like razor sharp blast. It hit the side of the coffin with a sickening crack, as the wooden lid was sliced clean off, like a guillotine would a watermelon.

Just as the wooden lid smashed into pieces against the wall and clattered to the ground, several voices called out loudly as the Team hurried down the stone steps and into the crypt.

"Chris what the hell are you doing down here?!" Freddy cried out as she and M'gann rushed over and quickly patted her down to check her for injuries, just as everyone else looked about them.

"God Indiana Jones much?" Martin and George both exchanged looks with Dick, Roy and Conner who all were flashing their phone lights around to check every nook and cranny.

"No one else here" the super clone narrowed his eyes as he checked over the place with his X-ray vision.

"Chris what were you doing?" Dick turned to his partner but at that exact moment.

"Ugh…" Zatanna grunted her hands to her temples.

"Whoa girl are you ok?" Raquel asked the magician concernedly putting a hand on her shoulder as she wobbled a little where she stood

"Yeah I'm fine" Zatanna shut her eyes "but I'm sensing some serious mystic energy down here."

"How serious?" Kaldur narrowed his eyes as he quickly glanced back at the staircase.

"On a scale of one to ten. I'd say fifteen"

"No offence Zee but I think mystic mumbo jumbo's the least of our worries now" Wally called out as he super sped to stand over the ruined coffin on the floor.

They all turned round to face him as he gingerly tilted the wooden box over…only to show them only white cushions…and no corpse…

* * *

><p>Dun-dun-DUNNN!<p>

hehe! couldn't resist. anyways sorry for the long wait peeps. just a bit of issues finding the right inspiration to get the story going along. so a little dollop of sibling fluff and a little smearing of angst and a sprinkling of mystery and badabing badaboom it finally came.

Hope you enjoyed and keep R&Ring for more


	9. Episode 8

**Episode 8: Hallowed Halls**

**(The Cemetery) Isle of Brumalund, June 3 2011, 21:03 BST**

_Team Alpha how's the eastern quadrant looking?_

_All clear_

_Beta, the west?_

_All clear down here Kal_

_North and south all clear as well._

"Great"

Aqualad turned quickly round to look at his comrade who'd just spoken aloud.

It was Robin and he was looking tenser than the string on Red Arrow's or Artemis's bows.

"What?" He snapped when the Atlantian made to open his mouth.

"Robin I know you are angry but now is not the time to lose your composure" Aqualad folded his arms and gave a stern frown at the younger boy who sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his dark mop of hair.

"I know Kal, it's just…"

He sighed again as this time he made to sit on top of a marble slab of a small grave behind him.

"I understand" Kaldur murmured his eyes softening as he made to sit beside Robin on the same slab. "It's hard to see the ones you care about suffer so much"

"It's not just that Kal" Robin shut his eyes "It's just…Stuart…Christine's dad…It's not like other people I've seen on the job…I've actually met him, both in and out of uniform…he was Bat's closest friend and he's…what happened to him…it's just not right. If anyone deserves to rest in peace it would be him."

The Boy Wonder trailed off his eyes shutting as his mind wandered back to memories suppressed in the back of his own head.

"He was actually a pretty cool guy. A bit nerdy sometimes but cool, and smart and really fun…"

"He sounds a lot like Swift" despite himself the corners of Aqualad's mouth twitched upwards and even Robin chuckled softly.

"Yeah they were a lot alike" the boy wonder's face suddenly fell into one of sadness once more "Christine…she…she was heartbroken when he passed away. She barely even talked to anyone for four months straight after the funeral… it was like something inside of her was…dead… "

"Grief comes to us in many ways" Aqualad's eyes turned down to the dark earth beneath his webbed feet "But at least this time Christine knows she's not alone"

"Yeah…" Robin nodded feeling a bit of grit return to him, strengthening him from within "Yeah she's not alone…she's got us now and we're not going to give up on her"

He looked at Aqualad fiercely only to see a small smile on the older team leader's face.

"hmph! Such stupidity"

A voice sneered in the darkness.

Robin and Aqualad whipped around as a shadow stepped out from behind a tall grey headstone. A shadow of a tall young man with glinting amber eyes and a small diagonal scar over his lips that distorted slightly as he made to speak once more.

"But then again I don't know why I expected anything more from the likes of you, _Robin_"

"_You_" the Boy Wonder snarled balking forwards but his companion stopped him quickly.

"Ishan Shazahd. You truly have the nerve to even step foot upon this sacred burial ground"

Ishan snorted rolling his eyes at the younger males in front of him as he dusted himself off.

"Pff! Atlantians. Your language is just as backwards as your stupid morals"

Aqualad's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

"Should you really be lecturing your opponents about morality when you clearly fail to grasp the basic meaning of the term?"

"And should you really be leaving my dear Christine on her own at this torturous moment in ti-"

_BAM!_

A black gloved fist rammed headlong into the masked jaw, shattering the breathing apparatus with a resounding snap.

Ishan shocked from the suddenness of the hit fell painfully backwards into a tombstone. He spat to the ground as he scrambled to his feet. Small droplets of red stained his dark suit sleeves as he wiped his mouth.

He shot a glare up at Robin who was standing before him panting heavily, face livid, his fists clenched, his body ready to spring and his masked eyes white hot slits of fury.

"Don't you dare" he growled. "don't you dare call her that! Ever AGAIN!"

"If not my dear Christine" Ishan spat his face twisting into a sneer "then what should I call her. oh wait I think I know…how about my dear Chrissy?"

"ARAHHH!"

"Robin NO!" Aqualad shouted but too late. With a speed that would've made both Kid Flash and the Flash green with envy the Boy Wonder lunged at his opponent who only smirked.

"So be it"

* * *

><p><strong>Isle of Brumalund, June 3 2011, 21:15 BST<strong>

"We're sorry Mr Wayne but we've searched high and low but there has been no sign of the corpse anywhere"

Christine only blinked as the words hit her ears as they wafted from the distant front door.

Corpse…her father's corpse… missing from its coffin…

She didn't know quite what to think; her mind had gone blank of everything save that one thought.

_Papa's missing…papa's body is missing…_

She barely paid attention as she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder and she looked up from her seat at the couch to see an old man with a balding head and neatly trimmed moustache holding out a glass of water for her.

She took it quietly as the old butler murmured softly.

"Miss Christine is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No…but thank you Alfred" Christine smiled but it was tremulous.

"Don't you worry young miss" Alfred Pennyworth tried his best to smile warmly down at her though it was still very much strained "I'm sure we'll find your father soon"

"We shouldn't even be looking for him in the first place!"

She didn't mean to shout, nor did she mean to crush the glass of water in her hands.

Alfred gave a jump of surprise but said nothing as the young girl sprang to her feet and ran out of the room ignoring the mess on the floor of broken glass and spilt liquid she'd left behind.

"Just a moment officer" Bruce's voice could be heard as he left the front door of the cottage and returned to find an unusually flustered Alfred trying his best to clean the floor.

"Forgive me Master Bruce" The old butler sighed before his master could even open his mouth. "I forgot how unpredictable the young mistress's moods can be in this sort of situation"

"No Alfred" Bruce's pale face turned grim "It's not your fault….if anything it's mine"

Alfred quickly straightened up and quirked an eyebrow at the younger man.

"You're going to tell her then?"

"…Yes" Bruce muttered softly. "She deserves to know the truth"

"…very well sir. But maybe you should reconsider your timing" Alfred gulped just as from upstairs loud roar of anger and a blast of cold air pulsed throughout the entire cottage with such force that even the policemen at the door shivered and shook as frost flew into his bushy moustache

Bruce and Alfred quickly exchanged nervous glances, the elder of the two looking extremely unnerved.

"She doesn't seem to be in a good mood"

"Point taken" Bruce gulped a little as he dusted the tiny flurry of snow from his winter jacket just as a beep in his ear announced a call from his communicator.

"Alfred" the Dark Knight quickly nodded to his butler who nodded in return before bustling off to address the policeman at the door. Once Bruce was sure he was alone he quickly tapped the com unit and winced at once at the loud desperate cry from within it.

"_Batman! Batman are you there?!_" It was M'gann and she was positively squeaking in fright.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked his voice automatically shifting into the dark growl of his alter ego as he strode quickly up the stairs. Whatever it was he obviously needed to suit up pronto.

His fears were confirmed as he heard yelling on the other end of the com.

"_Rob seriously it's alright he's down just give it a rest!_" came Kid Flash's grunt of strain just as the sounds of scuffling disturbed white noise was faint in the distance.

"_Oh no you don't. Superboy quick grab him! Wait ROBIN NO!_" Aqualad cried out.

There was the sound of scuffling's before something heavy thumped several times upon a harder object as many people yelled.

"Holy_ shit…ROBIN STOP HE'S HAD ENOUGH! HE'LL DIE IF YOU KEEP GOING!_"

Bruce felt his heart sink at the sound of Artemis's terrified cry. The female archer rarely got scared, and usually it was not without good reason.

But it was the next words he heard through the com unit made his blood freeze in his body.

"_Good he deserves it!_" Robin roared at the top of his lungs "_That bloody bastard! I'll kill him and he won't touch her ever again! Let go of me Kaldur!_"

"Miss Martian" Bruce quickly barked over the top of all the hubbub. "try and keep Robin separated from your prisoner for as long as possible. I'm on my way but it will still take me half an hour to get to your location. I'll send Superman to meet you ahead"

He barely waited for the young sidekick to acknowledge the order before he tapped off the com.

Great now both of his sidekicks were severely pissed off.

_My day just keeps getting better and better_

He sighed heavily as he made his way over to a specialised metal suitcase which opened at his voice command to reveal the familiar glaring black horned cowl and cape.

* * *

><p><strong>Isle of Brumalund, June 3 2011, 21:27 BST<strong>

Christine looked around her bedroom blinking stupidly.

Everything was completely covered in ice or snow. Even the wooden beams high above her head were decorated in the sharpest of icy stalactites whilst stalagmites shot upwards from the feet of the wooden four poster bed.

Even the pencils upon the small desk in the corner were covered in sheets of slippery cold white.

Christine ran a hand through her hair and growled irritably only to see it was white once more.

She quickly looked down at her neck. The glamour charm was still there however it, like the rest of the room around her was engulfed in ice. However, now the magical artefact had been frozen to such an extent that the purple stone set within the piece had completely cracked like fractured glass.

"Great" she muttered darkly tearing the now useless choker off and tossing it to the side where it clunked heavily in a far shadowy corner.

Christine looked down on her reflection in the now frozen surface of the floor on which the moonlight shone brightly through, the only source of light in the dark room.

With soft fingers she traced the outlines of her almost perfect snow white reflection.

_I look like a ghost_

She rolled her eyes down at the image as she tapped her nail lightly over the surface.

"Christine…"

Christine quickly frowned at her reflection.

Was it just her or had she heard a whisper.

After a moment of silence she merely shrugged and tried to amuse herself by tracing the outline of the floorboards through her reflection.

_Probably just the wind…_

But just before she could even move onto the second wooden board there was a soft sigh and at once a large hand clap over her mouth.

"HEL-HMPH!"

"It's ok" a strange and yet familiar voice hissed in her ear. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you. I promise I will not hurt you Baby Girl"

Christine froze mid struggle

"W-what did you just call me?" she whispered turning back to look behind her.

Her purple eyes almost popped out of her skull. There barely centimetres away from her was the handsome face of a man, a man with dark brown eyes and hair and a warm smile that was slowly creeping its over his very familiar features.

"P-P-Papa?"

"Hello Christine"

But no sooner had the last syllable left Stuart Hallows' mouth, did his daughter's eyes roll back into her head and her body fall limply into his arms.

* * *

><p><strong>? ? ?, June 3 2011, 21:24 BST<strong>

"Chris!"

Tug

"Chris wake up!"

Tug-Tug

"Five more minutes Dick"

"Chris come on get up!"

Christine's eyes flew open as a pair of hands made to shake her awake. She gasped as she caught sight of three familiar faces, two of which were almost identical save for one wearing a pair of round glasses. All three of them were wearing different coloured glamour charms around their necks.

"Oh thank god you're up" Fredericka "Freddy" Lantern sighed in relief before promptly swooping down on her friend.

"Ah! Fred! Freddy" Christine winced as she began to choke under the pressure of the surprisingly strong grip of the girl holding her close.

"Freddy let her breathe will you?! She's just gotten up from being out cold" Martin quickly pulled Freddy off as George made to stand up. In his hands was an old fashioned iron fire burning torch.

Christine's eyes widened at once as everything suddenly came flooding back into her head.

The policeman at the door…Alfred trying to comfort her…breaking the glass and running upstairs…freezing her room and then…then…

"And here she goes" Freddy muttered as the girl wonder quickly made to stand up.

"Where is he?!"

"Where's who?" Martin tilted his head to the side and Christine growled in frustration.

"My papa He was there! In my bedroom room with me!"

Christine sighed heavily running a hand through her hair when all she got as a response from her friends was silence.

"I know it sounds crazy. But I'm telling you all he was real. He held me I felt it…he called me…he called me by my name …like he was just there-"

"-Beside you? Like he'd never left…" Freddy's voice was a quiet whisper.

There was a silence as Christine looked up at her three friends. All of their faces were pale and their hands were shaking.

"W-We saw people too" George glanced up at his twin who nodded fervently.

"Yeah…like our Uncle Alejandro…and Aunt Ruby"

"And grandpa Albrecht" Freddy mumbled softly her brown eyes becoming overly bright.

Christine felt her heart freeze in her chest.

"But…but aren't they all-"

"Dead?" George pushed up his glasses on his nose "Yeah they are"

"or at least we thought they were" Martin muttered just as the sounds of footsteps could be heard someway off.

They all stilled in their spots.

Freddy opened her mouth to say something but Christine quickly put up a hand to silence her as she stepped forwards, arms held up in front of her as she felt the air coat around her hands.

"Who's there?" she asked, her voice quickly changing into that same slightly darker tone she used as Swift.

There was a nail biting silence, so deafening it was making each one of the teen's hairs stand up on the back of their heads until-

"Sissy?"

George quickly held forth the torch in his hand and at once the space on the stone floor in front of them was illuminated for them all to see.

There slowly making her way onto her elbows, little Vanessa Hallows looking up at them all with dawning delight.

"Sissy!" she cried out as soon as she caught sight of her elder sister whose eyes were bulging out of her sockets as she rushed forwards to scoop the little girl in her arms.

"Nessa what on Earth- How did you get here?"

"The nice Lady said to follow her" Vanessa pointed out before suddenly gasping. "Oh no the Lady! The Lady"

She quickly turned around in Christine's arms to look behind her but nobody was there.

"She's gone!" the little girl cried out even as Martin held out his palm and at once it was alight with a dancing bright red and orange flame.

"I've been practicing with George" he quickly explained to his two female friends as his brother rolled his eyes.

"Translation I've been splashing him with my water abilities every time he accidently sets something alight"

"And yet I managed to safely light up that torch without setting fire to anything" Martin shook his head derisively.

"Yeah well everything's made of stone…and unless it is covered in some form of fuel stone won't burn. Of course you'd know that if you paid any attention in sci-"

"Can it you two" Christine steamrolled over the twins feeling a familiar twinge in her left temple that usually hurt whenever Artemis and Kid Flash argued.

Vanessa giggled softly as both the boys quickly shut their mouths.

"So now that that's settled" Freddy clucked her tongue as she looked about their dark surroundings. "Does anybody actually know where we are and how do we find the way out?"

"well…that way's a dead end" Martin quickly pointed out in the direction with his flaming hand and as it glowed even brighter they were all able to see the rest of the place they were in.

He was quite right about it being a dead end for they seemed to be stuck in the middle of a large circular room with only one corridor leading away from them and a tall domed ceiling.

All around them painted in a multitude of colours was a large landscape of the Brumalund moors.

Christine squinted as she looked over the image before her. She knew the landscape of her homelands well enough for a local but even so it was strange to see them painted around her like this.

The picture was ancient she'd give it that what with the way the painted mosaic seemed to be so far chipped that the blocks of the stone wall behind were visible. And the way the paint strokes had been applied and the style…

_It's like a group of artists from Egypt, Ancient Rome, Greece and Viking Scandinavia had decided to congregate and create a strange love child._

She thought as she brought a hand up to trace over the flow of the watery river that ran around the bottom of the painting.

"what the hell is this place?" Freddy muttered softly so that Vanessa, who was still in Christine's arms would not hear.

"Dunno" the girl wonder admitted as she looked up at the dimly lit domed roof above. "but I can't wait to find out. Could you hold Nessa for me?"

"Sure" the blonde nodded quickly taking the little girl from her friend before turning her attention quickly back to the painting.

"Oh look Nessa there are horses on the grass there you wanna see?"

"Yay! Horsy's! horsys!"

Christine smiled as she floated high above them watching as her little sister excitedly squealed at the sight of the painted equines.

_Now back to work_

She quickly reminded herself as she quickly stopped, barley avoiding bumping her head against the top of the ceiling.

She winced as her head lightly grazed the stone and quickly settled herself but not before something caught her eye.

She looked up quickly and flew forwards to the rim of the roof's circular base. There just within a gust of wind being blown by the cloudy form of what appeared to be a wind spirit were familiar hexagonal shapes.

She quickly reached into her long purple woollen knitted cardigan and was relieved when she felt the familiar leather cover of her father's journal still deep within an inside pocket.

She took it out quickly and flicked through to a page towards the beginning she had marked with a yellow sticky note she'd promptly labelled "Imp" for "important".

As her eyes scanned over the page she took in the familiar but odd hexagonal snowflake-like script and looked up at the wall. Sure enough the same sort of symbols were painted upon the mosaic blowing out in streams from the wind spirit's mouth as he puffed out a cold air to send winter down upon the land.

She looked back up at the wind spirit again. Now that she looked at his appearance he looked rather intimidating what with his muscular form, shaggy unkempt beard and hair, long billowing cloak and great eagles wings on his back and the great conch shell in his-

_Wait a moment! Conch Shell! Ice and snow. That's not a wind sprite! That's Boreas! The god of the northern winds!_

Christine looked back down at the point where Freddy and Vanessa were both now looking at the pretty flowers painted by the banks of the blue flowing river.

Christine frowned as she examined the blossoms.

_Narcissus flowers…but they bloom only in late winter and early spring…_

She looked back up at Boreas and at the wind billowing from his mouth…or was it billowing.

_He's…he's bringing back the snow for spring to come again?!_

At once unbidden a voice, her own voice in fact, from just a few days ago wafted over her mind

_According to old legends whenever a lord or lady of the land dies, the land plunges into winter until the heir is ready to step up to the plate and-_

"-Thaw the snow away" she breathed.

Unable to control the grin spreading across her face she reached out to trace the symbols with her fingers. But as soon as her skin made contact with the paint it at once began to glimmer faintly and twist and twirl.

Christine squinted as the shapes within each hexagon began to shift till they were discernible English.

Excitedly the girl wonder began to murmur the words aloud to herself.

"Winter winds I command thee, set the winds of Springtime free. For with these breezes shall this land, find growth and joy from the Earth and Sand"

Christine shivered as she felt something cold slither up through the script and into her body through her fingers. It was as if all the frigid cold from the outside world, for she was sure they were underground in some way or another, had poured into her.

However it wasn't an earth shattering event like she'd been expecting. Rather the sensations were as quick to go as they were to come and soon she felt that she was her normal body temperature once more.

She smiled as she felt a great surge of power flow through her entire body, eradicating all tiredness from her once aching limbs.

"Uh Chris?" she heard a voice call from beneath her.

"hm?" she looked down at her friends. Both Martin and Freddy were standing beneath her with Vanessa between them. All three of them had odd looks on their faces.

"What?" she blinked utterly perplexed.

"Um…Chris what the hell were you doing up there?" Freddy gulped.

"oh just reading some of this stuff" Christine shrugged as she hovered back down to the floor.

"The symbols match the ones in the book" she pointed to the journal in her hands.

"and you can read that?"

"Uh…yeah?" Christine bit her lip nervously as both her friends exchanged nervous glances "what I didn't get it wrong did i?"

"We wouldn't know even if we tried" Martin gulped.

"What?" Christine snorted "I translated it to English no prob"

"Actually Chris…" Freddy frowned concernedly "You sounded like you were speaking gibberish"

"huh?"

But before the girl wonder could get in another word there was George's loud call from the passage just beyond the room.

"Hey guys you're going to want to see this"

They all quickly rushed towards his voice which was some way away already down the narrow corridor which was made out of dark weathered out old stone.

For some reason Christine had a massive wave of Déjà vu as she made her way towards the flickering light that illuminated the head of their last friend whose face was pale as he looked upon a painting.

Christine's heart lurched as soon as they were level with him.

There on the wall decorated in fading paints, a monstrous army charged across a battlefield, led by a man on a dark horse. A man with burning orange amber eyes.

"No way!" Christine breathed reaching out to the stone wall and half expecting her vision to go black. However unlike any of her other visions from before, her hand was able to feel the rough texture beneath her pads of skin. It was cold and hard.

She felt rather than saw Martin open his mouth to speak.

"I've been here before" she explained gripping Vanessa tight to her as the little girl took one look at the amber eyed general before burying herself into her sisters cardigan.

"Yeah…I don't like him either" She cooed softly patting the little girls back. It was a good thing they were all still rugged up in their winter pyjamas or else they would have all frozen to death in here.

"Do you guys think that's _him_?" Freddy gulped at the painted man's burning gaze that whilst two dimensional seemed to pop off the stone wall and pierce through them like the jagged sword in his hand.

"The Apprentice?" George narrowed his eyes on the man before glancing at Christine who frowned.

"maybe" she muttered before turning to look further down the corridor. The rest of the painting seemed to have worn away because all she could see were the back lines of the opposing army, who seemed to be made all up of women in gladiatorial outfits.

Unable to determine any other meaning behind them she looked beyond the wall, just as Freddy made to quickly snap a shot of the entire wall with her mini camera that she had kept in her pocket.

"Wait a moment. I wanna get photos of that room back there too. We can show them to the others when we get out of here"

"If we get out of here" George mumbled under his breath but Christine glared at him.

"We will. Martin go with her. It'll be safer if we're not alone. George and I will wait for a bit."

All in all it took more than fifteen minutes, by the calculations of both George's and Christine's watches for Freddy and Martin to return, by which the blonde girl was looking dreamy eyed with awe and wonder.

"God" she smiled widely "Who can get to say that they got to take the first photographs of an ancient temple that has not been touched in centuries."

"Yeah but we won't be the first if we don't get out of here and live to tell the tale" George muttered jerking his thumb towards his brothers now growling stomach. Christine felt her stomach rumble too and despite her earlier attempts at keeping up moral she too had to agree with the twins.

"Let's keep going down this corridor and see where it leads. There's a fresh draft down that end, that's probably our best bet. Or you guys can choose to sit down here and starve your choice." she sighed heavily and adjusting the now fast asleep four year old in her arms made her way down the dark corridor.

All three of her friends exchanged glances behind her back. Eventually it was Freddy who spoke.

"Well I don't know about you two but I'd rather die looking for a way out than die sitting on my arse"

"Agreed"

"Lets go"

* * *

><p><strong>(The Cemetery) Isle of Brumalund, June 3 2011, 22:16 BST<strong>

Wally West, aka the Kid Flash, had seen and heard some pretty freaky things in his life as a hero. Not freaky scary mind you but definitely freaky _freaky_. Of course such occurrences should have been normal for him but if there was one the young speedster had come to know over the past few years was that if you knew the Bat-family nothing would ever be normal.

So he didn't understand why he jumped in frightened surprise as the Dark Knight's infamous deep voice growled out from behind him.

"Where is Robin?"

"Batman! You're here?!" Kid squeaked his voice suddenly going higher than Zatanna's or M'gann's which was saying something as they were perhaps two of the most feminine voices he'd ever heard in his life.

_Wow… He really looks like he'd fit right in with this sorta setting…what with the graves, the fog…the full moon…_

It took all he had to cough down his terror as he saw Batman slip out from the shadows of one of the tall angels that stood at the head of the Hallows family crypt.

The speedster couldn't help but gulp in awe at the morbidly impressive sight.

_If this was Halloween he'd totally win outright for best costume_

But just as the thought crossed his mind Kid blinked and at once Batman was standing at his side overlooking the scene behind him.

"Oh yeah…" Kid bit his lip as he turned around to look as well "um…about Robin…"

Then the speedster trailed off. Not that Batman needed the explanation. What he was seeing in front of him combined with what he heard over the com, it wasn't too difficult to piece together a picture.

There was Robin lying on the ground with Artemis and Red Arrow beside him as Rocket held up one of her energy spheres about him. He looked in relatively good shape save for the nasty bruise on the top of his head but that would be easily overcome in time.

Some way away on the ground another body was lying unconscious, but unlike Robin he had his body bound by hard metal coils and an inhibitor collar around his neck, not to mention he was surrounded by Aqualad, Miss Martian, Zatanna and Superman who seemed to be quietly taking a full report from Superboy who was glancing at the unconscious Boy Wonder and looking very guilty.

After quickly putting a comforting hand on his protégé's shoulder the Man of Steel looked up at the Dark Knight before striding over to him quickly.

"Who is that?" Batman growled keeping his eyes fixed on the unknown prisoner.

"Who do you think?" Superman grimaced darkly giving the knocked out stranger a pointed look.

The white lenses in Batman's cowl turned into seething slits as he walked over to assess the prisoner. His face was so bloodied and bruised that it was at first difficult to tell where some of his features were however after a quick search with his sharp gaze, Batman quickly found what he was looking for. A small diagonal scar marring the young man's lips.

"What happened?" the dark knight turned to Aqualad who seemed to be the only one out of the entire team other than Superboy that looked more guilty than scared.

"We were patrolling the graveyard just like you told us" the Atlantian sighed heavily "I decided to keep Robin working with me so we could talk. He's been just as out of it recently as Swift has been."

Batman nodded once to show that he understood. Of course he knew more of Robin's dilemma than the team did. The boy wonder not only knew about the pain that came with the loss of a parent but also of the pain of watching someone you care about disintegrate from a similar struggle. Aside from himself and Alfred, the caped crusader very few people could say that they knew exactly what might have been going on in the young teens head.

His mind still half still stuck in his dark thoughts, he listened to the Team Leader's next words.

"We were just receiving reports from the others when this Ishan Shazahd decided to drop in and pay us a visit. He made the mistake of pushing Robin's buttons and well…as you can see…he got a response though it might be more than he bargained for." Aqualad didn't even bother to hide his disgust as he glared down at the bloodied and bruised captive beneath his feet. "to be quite honest Batman I don't blame Robin for his lack of control. Because if he didn't beat him I don't think any one of us would've held onto our control for much longer either"

"Robin won't get into trouble" Batman assured him "though granted that he is extremely distressed he will need some time to cool down before he goes out into the field. It's not good to lose yourself to anger in dangerous situations. I should know"

He added in a quiet murmur just as Superboy's head suddenly shot up.

"Guys there's something coming from underground"

Everyone at once fell into silence and got ready into battle positions as one of the graves close beside the spot Batman was standing to began to shake ominously.

They all jumped as a loud bang sounded from beneath the slab of the unmarked headstone.

"_Oww_…" a voice groaned in pain from underneath. A very familiar female voice.

Everyone's eyes widened as it was quickly followed by another girls voice.

"_Jesus Chrissy! Watch out that stone's pretty hard_!"

"_Wow **thanks** for the update Freddy I totally did not know that stone was hard_!"

Batman could have almost laughed at the sound of his daughter/protégé's pissed of grunts.

But he held in his happiness as Superboy quickly rushed over to the grave his boots making a loud din over the stone surface.

"_What was that?_"

"_Dunno…maybe the roof's caving in_?"

"_Bright little ray of sunshine aren't you?_"

Kid Flash snorted as Martin and George's disembodied voices sounded from beneath the ground somewhere close to his feet just as Christine made to snap impatiently.

"_Seriously Marty shut up and give me some light. I think we've hit a dead end_."

There was a small groaning sound as Robin stirred from his spot inside Rocket's energy bubble.

"Chrissy"

"_…Robin is that you_?!" Christine gasped but then cried out again in pain as with another thump she hit her head again on the stone above her head.

"Let him go" Batman growled at Rocket, who quickly released her energy bubble as both Red Arrow and Artemis made to help the boy wonder up to sit.

"_Dad! Is that you_?" Christine called her voice suddenly growing excited. "_Where are you_?"

"We're up here Chris" Superman quickly called as he approached the stone and gave it a very gentle tap with his fist.

"It's hollow" Superboy quickly said as he used his super hearing to listen to the subtle change in sound. "There's a passage way beneath"

Without even a second of waiting Superman quickly lifted the stone slab placed over the grave and pulled on it hard. At once a rectangular hole appeared in the ground and several gasps issued from inside.

"A ladder!" George cried out and scrambled quickly up into the surface, followed closely by his brother. Puffing they both fell down into the soft grass about them shutting their eyes.

"Halleluiah! Oh grass how I missed you" Martin sighed as he breathed in the fresh scent of the greenery beneath his nose.

"Guys did you have to push?" came Freddy's pant of breath as she scrambled up out of the dark hole and onto the grass.

She felt a gentle hand grab hers and pull her up onto her feet and looked up to see Aqualad quickly patting her down.

"And up we go" Christine said as she hovered up through the hole and up into the air, Vanessa still fast asleep in her arms.

"Thank's Superman" She nodded to the Man of Steel as she landed on the ground before them sighing heavily and wiping her brow with her free hand.

"Phew! What a night?"

She looked up at the rest of the Team and Batman and Superman who were all standing around her and her friends with dumbfound expressions.

Even Robin, in his semi-conscious state looked bewildered.

"Chris…but what…how?" Kid Flash was barely able to string his sentence together as he pointed towards the grave shaped hole in the ground.

"I could say the same for you guys" Christine muttered taking in Ishan's bloodied body still unconscious upon the ground.

"Ok…we really have to exchange notes"

* * *

><p>TADAA! finally after so long chapter 8 is up and a go go.<p>

Hope you guys enjoyed and i'm sorry for the long wait. but i have to warn you guys that future updates might be slow considering how much is usually in one chapter.

Keep R&Ring for more


	10. Episode 9

**Episode 9: Imbrute**

**The Watchtower, June 4 2011, 12:07 EDT**

Richard John "Dick" Grayson stared hard through the back of a one way mirror as he looked upon the brightly lit grey chamber.

In the middle of it a figure lay, restrained by metal braces onto a large medical bed. This figure was currently wearing a hospital gown and tucked under white blankets with a respirator over his bruised, bleeding and battered face as a multitude of drips fed his body nutrients and water and blood to replenish his weak body.

Dick's eyes narrowed as the prisoner continued to stay silent and motionless despite his predicament and he didn't even look up as he heard the door to his side open and close softly.

"Dick" a voice whispered quietly.

He turned and saw Christine quietly slip through the door. She was wearing her Swift ensemble sans the mask though that now didn't really matter considering that the Watchtower was barely full anyway with just the original seven and the two protégé's.

The Team, Freddy, Martin, George and Vanessa had been sent back to Brumalund where they were under the supervision of Red Arrow, Green Arrow, Black Canary and Alfred.

Not that that information could lighten up the boy wonder's mood and it was with a sigh that he responded to his partner's worried face as she took one of his hands in hers.

"Dick are you ok? You've been locked up in here for hours"

"I'm fine" he mumbled softly but then sighed heavily as she quirked a brow.

"…I didn't stop…" he whispered his free hand clenching beside his body. "I didn't even stop when he was through…I just kept hitting him over and over again…I wanted him dead…"

"Sometimes I wish he still was"

Dick's head whipped around as Christine's voice fell away softly as she gazed upon Ishan's resting form through the mirror.

"But you…" the boy wonder breathed "you saw him die! That night your father…you saw Red Queen kill-"

"I know" Christine snapped. "But at least when he was dead he was at peace"

She caught her partner's eye in the corner of hers before she shut them quickly her lips trembling.

"Chris?" Dick's brow crinkled in a worried frown.

"There's something else isn't there?" Dick's brow furrowed. "You found something in that tunnel"

"Yeah…" Christine bit her lip. "you remember that day I had that first vision."

"The one you had after that disaster with Clayface? How could I forget? It was so heavy on the dis" Dick scowled as the memory ran freshly through his mind.

"Yeah let's forget about giant bloodthirsty mud monsters for just one second" Christine rolled her eyes as she pulled away slightly to look into her partners face "You remember what I told you about my vision, how I saw that old painting in that temple place?"

"Yeah?"

"well that underground passage…that was the temple"

* * *

><p><em>"Well that underground passage…that was the temple"<em>

Batman quickly turned round in his seat at the council table where all the other original seven, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Aquaman and Martian Manhunter, were watching as the holo-screen displaying the security footage of their newest prisoner's observation room blinked off.

"Well…" Green Lantern decided to say after a long pause "that was weird"

"I'll say" Flash muttered glancing sidelong at Martian Manhunter.

But Wonder Woman was already glowering at Batman fiercely.

"You should have told us about these visions" the Amazon narrowed her eyes.

"What happens to my protégé's is my business and my responsibilities. Not yours" the dark knight growled gruffly.

"Not our business-"

"Dianna wait" Superman spoke up quickly putting up both hands to placate the angry woman before an argument could arise. "I know you mean to say that we all care for each other's protégé's and families. But Bruce is right. Whatever said and done he is Christine's father and guardian and he does have the right to keep their family matters private. But that being said this was a secret of great magnitude and-"

"Hey! Hey everyone take a chill!" Flash piped in from the sidelines loudly as he saw the Batman open his mouth to snarl in response. "We can talk about Bat's secret life later. That's not really what we came here to do anyway"

"Flash is right" Martian Manhunter agreed calmly. What we need to do now is find out what we can about what has been happening recently."

"But to find out that Batsy has to tell us everything he knows about this" Green Lantern folded his arms and leaned back in his chair "starting from the very beginning. And I mean the real beginning"

There was a silence as everyone turned their heads towards Batman whose body was now so tense it seemed he'd turned to stone.

"Bruce" Superman's glare softened to that of a concerned frown. "we're sorry but enough is enough…things are getting way more complicated and we need to know the truth if we're going to solve this problem"

"I know" the caped crusader leaned forwards on his elbows and pinching the bridge of his nose. "But first Christine should come down here…if anyone deserves the truth first it would be her…and Dick and the Team"

"We can tell them another time-" Wonder Woman started to say but the Flash shook his head.

"No…they have just as much right to know about this as us. Perhaps more so since now their three newest members are directly involved"

"Agreed" Martian Manhunter nodded as he swiped a hand over his portion of the u shaped council table and at once a holographic screen and keyboard appeared at his fingertips.

After deftly swiping in a very familiar code a new large screen popped up showing a live video feed of the Brumalund cottage. In the barriers of the screen the entire team plus Alfred, Green Arrow, Red Arrow and Black Canary were all sitting around a living room all looking very nervous.

Kaldur was the first to notice the new visual.

_"Batman what news?"_

"Just wait for a moment" Batman put a hand up patiently before glancing at Martian Manhunter who nodded.

"I sent a telepathic message. Both your protégé's are on their way"

"Actually we're right here" came the voice of a boy and all the adults in the room turned to see the boy and girl wonder walk into the council room hand in hand, their faces still quite grim.

"Did you find anything else?" Christine looked up at her mentor/father who shook his head.

"No but sit." he quickly glanced at Superman and Aqualad who sat next to each other. They both nodded and quickly stood up to move two seats down so that the two birds could sit.

Once they were settled Batman spoke again but this time his voice was strained.

"… There is something I need to tell you "

"Ok…" Christine gulped nervously. "What is it?"

Batman sighed softly under his breath for a moment before taking a deep breath. It was so deep, that Dick wondered if his mentor was going to plunge underwater for a very long time.

"Christine…your father Stuart…he was one of my best friends since I was young. My mother and your grandmother were old friends themselves since they were children seeing as they both were from the British Aristocracy. That's how the two of us met. Stuart was older than me but we were as close as brothers. That is…until my parents died. After that I pretty much stayed a recluse and I shut myself off from the world for years as I trained to become the Batman. During that time your father himself also trained to become a hero just not in the same way I did. He ran away from home. He met many people that showed him their tricks like Haly's Travelling Circus and the previous Dr Fate, Kent Nelson. Along the way he also met your mother, Scarlett and married her. Only she wasn't all that she seemed to be."

There was silence from everyone all around as Christine's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Meanwhile I had just returned to Gotham and was beginning my crusade as Batman. Just a few days after the anniversary of my first year in the field I came into contact with a strange beast of unknown origin. This beast was remarkably like the genomorphs at Project CADMUS, but cruder in genetic make-up and more prone to animalistic behaviour. My guess is that they were the earlier experiments of Dr Desmond when he was still under the tutelage of Theodore Heron and before he was funded by the Light. After months of investigating I received a call from your father. He had returned to Gotham to settle his divorce with Scarlett which was not going so well."

"What did she do? Bribe the tabloids to write shit about him" Christine sneered before she could stop herself.

Bruce nodded with a grimace.

"She made life very difficult for him indeed. That is why he stayed at Wayne manor for those few months. And not only stayed. He helped me out too on patrol as an ally…as Swift…"

"Wa-wa-wa-wait a moment?" Green Lantern spluttered in surprise "I thought Girl Wonder here was Swift!"

"And so I still am" Christine glared in the direction of the leaguer. "but I chose the name for a very different reason. I did not know my father was a hero" she added quickly turning to fix Batman with a hard stare.

"What happened next?"

"Stuart eventually helped me track down the genomorphs to a secret bunker underneath one of Scarlett's Rouge Records buildings in Gotham City" Batman's voice was now a quiet gentle growl "but there was only one thing down there we found"

The Dark Knight gazed solidly down at his young female protégé in front of him as she choked softly on her own voice

"M-Me? but my birth records – they say I was born in France-"

"They were fake files supplied by Scarlett" Batman shut his eyes. "You were created and born in an artificial womb down in a secret lab below Gotham City using your fathers and your mothers DNA…just like how Superboy was created by CADMUS."

Christine's face was now white as a sheet. She barely felt Dick's hand clasp over hers gently, nor did she hear the gasps from the other end of the line where the team were still listening from.

"When we went to CADMUS…" the girl wonder gasped. "I thought…I thought it all looked familiar somehow…"

"That's because it was…" Batman reached out to place his hand on her shoulder comfortingly "You were only an infant when we found you but you were already very well developed for your age, especially your memory and communication skills. Your father had taken full custody of you just as you were old enough to begin speaking but he kept me informed in his messages of how fast you were picking up languages. By the time you were five you were already almost tri-lingual and you seemed to have sharper senses than most other children of your age."

"Because I wasn't even human" Christine looked her white hair and kin over.

"Yeah but that never mattered to any of us. You're still you." Dick's hand over hers tightened and she turned towards him the corners of her mouth quirking upwards ever so slightly with gratitude.

But then her eyes suddenly fell.

"Is that why Luthor wanted to kidnap me?"

"Most likely" Batman's eyes fell to the floor. "Though we're not sure. Your three friends that were taken with you were naturally conceived and born and they still have powers of a similar source to yours. Personally I think the only one who really knew anything of what was going to happen was your father…but he's no longer here"

At this Christine's face turned incredibly icy.

"And _why_ is that the case?"

Batman looked up at her levelly but Dick and the others could see the weariness in his features as his posture sagged ever so slightly.

"When you were eight years old…your father had returned to Gotham with you to stay at the manor. He told me he suspected that Scarlett was now up to something else, or at least she was funding criminal activities under the guise of Red Queen. Of course I offered to help him investigate and once again we both found ourselves in another hidden base. This time under Metropolis. There we found no creatures or genomorphs…we just found vials of a blue substance. It seemed to have been derived from the formula for Hourman's Miraclo vitamin and turned into a super steroid. The doctors know it A-39. You might know it as Venom"

_"Venom? Like Bane's Venom?! Like Cobra Venom? THAT VENOM?!" _Kid Flash's voice cried out shrilly as did several other team members. Even the Justice leaguers were looking bewildered. But no one was more shocked then Christine whose face had turned livid.

"Yes" Batman shut his eyes as he heavily exhaled "the very same Venom that you all discovered on your first mission at Santa Prisca. In those days it was still in very early development and testing. Of course we took it back to the Batcave"

"To experiment on?" Dick bit his lip as his gut churned horribly from within. He didn't need to see the face of his partner to know that she was on tenterhooks.

"For a certain amount of time yes" Batman once more fixed his protégé with a steady but firm gaze. "Eventually we hit a dead end and a disagreement. I said we should either destroy the venom for good or keep it locked away for no one to find. But your father had other ideas. One night I couldn't go out for patrol as I was recovering from injuries sustained in fighting the Joker who was still at large after almost destroying Gotham City Bank…as You, Alfred and I were all sleeping. Stuart snuck down to the Batcave and tested the Venom upon himself."

"WHAT?!" Christine shrieked loudly her mouth gaping open in horror. "No! Papa…Papa would never do anything so stupid like that! He'd know better-"

"I'm sorry Christine but he did do it." Batman gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "At first it was just a small dosage…just enough to give him a kick…but that little kick was all it took. It made him strong enough to take down not just the Joker but all his goons as well. All without breaking a sweat. At first Stuart didn't tell me how he'd done it and I didn't pressure him to tell me. He was an accomplished fighter in his own right and I trusted him to be smart enough to be able to take down Joker on his own. But then over the next few weeks things began to change. Stuart was always a rather impulsive person by nature, but over time he'd begun to get not so much impulsive as much as stupidly reckless. His moods too began to shift dramatically between good and bad very fast and often it was difficult to determine what would set him off. By the time a month had past he was violently aggressive in his anger and his energy levels were so unnaturally high that he barely needed to sleep or eat. It made him twitchy and trigger happy so much so that one time…he lashed out at you"

And now the dark knight's audience all saw for the first time, the shadow of pain flicker over the usually stoic jaw beneath the cowl as he looked upon the young girl that sat in front of him as she nodded quietly.

"Yeah…yeah I remember that…" she mumbled as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes threatening to spill over "I'd just come to say good morning to him and show him my outfit for the party we were supposed to be going to and he…he…"

"He yelled and struck you across the face" Batman's voice was so low now that it was difficult for many to hear. But the faces of those that were close enough suddenly turned very pale. Indeed Dick was looking very shocked.

"Chris…"

But Christine only looked down at the ground her cheeks already wet and streaming even as Batman made to speak once more.

"It was then that I knew exactly what was wrong. My suspicions were confirmed when I opened up the cooler in which the Venom was being kept and only saw five vials remaining from the forty nine we'd collected at the start. I confronted Stuart that night and told him that unless he straightened up his act and stopped taking the Venom I would kick him out of the manor and never let him see you ever again. He was so ashamed of what he'd done to you that he agreed at once. And for a time it seemed as if he was free of the hold."

"But of course he wasn't" the Flash frowned quietly from the sidelines "with the amount of that stuff that strong pumping through his system the withdrawal symptoms must have been hell to deal with."

"It was" Batman nodded at his colleague "it wasn't long before he developed extreme fatigue, shakiness and even a depression. He tried to hold up as best he could, and Alfred and I did our best to support him through it all as did his parents the Earl and Count. But then came that night…and everything went to hell. Red Queen's men had attacked at Gotham Museum's opening night for an ancient Grecian-Roman exhibit which Stuart had been a major part of organising. She herself made a special appearance in the private suite where all of us close benefactors were having quiet drinks and a toast. Whilst me and the other adults tried to keep her distracted, our new prisoner Ishan Shazhad tried to sneak Christine and himself to safety outside the room. However he was discovered and…and…"

"Red Queen murdered him to show her resolve" Aquaman murmured just as Wonder Woman snarled fiercely.

"That monster. And she dares call herself a lady"

"hear hear!" Green Lantern and Superman both snorted.

"The worst was yet to come" Batman's fists were so tight it was a wonder his gloves weren't splitting apart at the seams. "She killed Ishan yes…and then in all the confusion she injected Stuart with a heavy dosage of Venom. He was so intoxicated that he hardly knew what he was doing or what he was lashing out at. I barely managed to get myself, Dick and Christine out of the building in time. By the time we did he was already in a blind rampage. I let both Dick and Christine be taken home by Alfred and managed to subdue him as Batman. But even that was hard. It was one thing to take down an enemy…it was even harder to take down my friend. When Stuart came to, the police didn't press charges against him based upon witnesses statements that placed Red Queen at the centre of the action. After a couple of days in hospital they let him return back to the mansion…only for Christine to walk in on him hanging himself four days later…"

There was a silence as every single pair of eyes in the room turned upon the girl wonder who was at this point sobbing silently her head in her hands as she curled up in her chair.

Batman reached forwards to cradle her cheek in his hand.

"I'm sorry I had to keep this from you all this time" he murmured softly so that no one else could hear save Dick who had his arm wrapped protectively around his girlfriend. "I just thought you'd be happier remembering your father for the hero he was rather than the horror that he had become-"

But Christine quickly stood up. She was no longer crying but her voice was still very hoarse and had taken on a very odd stiffness as she spoke.

"I…I…I need some air…"

And before another word could be had she was out the door just as quickly as a gust of wind.

* * *

><p><strong>? ? ? ?, JUNE 4 2011, 02:23 EDT<strong>

"Mam! Agent Shazahd has been captured by the enemy"

"Is that so?"

"Yes mam I just saw it through my own eyes. That boy Robin took him down and his team backed him up"

"How bad a condition is he?"

"Very bad …the boy wonder really was furious at him…"

"I see…and what of the status of my moping runt of a daughter"

"She is no longer M.I.A Mam. Her team found her just as they were apprehending Shazahd"

"And you still don't know where she or her little friends disappeared during those fifty minutes?"

"No Mam, it was like one moment they were all back at their cottage and then it was like they didn't even exist on the face of the planet."

"Bullshit! A group of spoiled super powered teenagers don't just vanish for no good reason! Investigate at once and keep a close eye on them. And don't even dare to return unless you have results. Otherwise I will not be so considerate. Now if you wouldn't mind leaving, I have my wedding plans to attend to."

"Yes Mam"

A door shut with a clang and a deep breath was taken from behind a desk of a large office where a woman in a crimson dress, sat with her face and head obscured by the shadows, a cigarette dangling from her long claw like red nailed digits.

"…this is not good" Red Queen drawled into the silence of the darkened room.

She took another long drag from her cigarette, the smoke slipping through her red lips as smoothly as silver velvet.

"…not good at all…they're too strong…"

"Hmmm…but I wonder how strong" A deep voice smirked from the shadows about her.

Red Queen did not jump or make a sound, but her body did stiffen in her seat. Her eyes narrowed as footsteps could be heard on carpet and she turned her head to see, illuminated in the moonlight beside her desk, a figure of a man towering over her.

He was tall, his lean and muscular form covered in dark kelvar with a katana and a staff sheathed on his back, his half black and gold full face mask the only clear feature upon his person that could be seen under this light.

"It's been a long time Scarlett"

"Indeed it has been" the corners of Red Queen's mouth twitched upwards in a small smirk as her uninvited guest surveyed her closely with his only right eye. "I was just wondering where you were. I really wanted to commend you for your excellent job in picking up my daughter."

"Thank you" the man, replied tersely as he folded his arms "But I am not here for my reward. I come here strictly on business of my own"

"Oh?" Red Queen quirked an eyebrow up at him intrigued "and what business would this be?"

"You have your issues with the Bat clan…and so do I"

"and you want a partnership?"

"No…but I am quite partial to the idea of having a protégé…especially one with skills in stealth and martial arts"

"I think you'll be disappointed to know then, that my current protégé is now imprisoned upon that Justice League's blasted space station. Besides…" Red Queen snorted derisively as she glowered sidelong at her window, which had a decent view of the brilliant night sky above dotted with stars and lit up by a waning three quarter moon.

"I thought a man like you would prefer to take one of my father's younglings under your wing"

The man chuckled darkly.

"I would. But what I really want is slightly more closer to home…to Batman that is…"

Red Queen's gaze turned sharply on him within a heartbeat.

"The two birds are closer than ever now in this time of crisis. What makes you think that you will be able to separate them for good?"

The man smirked widely under his mask.

"I'm so glad that you asked"

* * *

><p><strong>Isle of Brumalund , June 4 2011, 5:45 BST<strong>

The Superboy Conner Kent, may not have been one of the sharpest tools in the shed given his limited knowledge of the world around him. Several phrases and innuendos still flew constantly over his head and he tended to think with his fist first in a fight than his brain.

But even so…he knew he'd find her here.

He looked around the dark deserted moors about him, the sky turning from inky black to grey and the ground shrouding itself in fog as the first minutes of that twilight hour between night and dawn slid into play over the world.

He was quiet as he approached the large boulder that stood tall in the space before him.

"Go away" a female voice muttered hoarsely from a point just above his head that was obscured by the fog.

"No" the clone replied simply before deftly using his super strength to jump up to the top of the large mass of rock. There upon it lay a girl, with white hair and skin and wearing a worn out assortment of what might have been pyjamas only they were covered in a blanket of cold icicles.

Ignoring Christine's groans of complaint Conner dashed over to her and scooped her up in his arms.

"Conner let me go" Christine struggled even though she knew it was futile. The super boy was stronger than her by triple and resistant to cold. But still she was angry, tired, confused and hurt and wanted more than ever to just sit and remain thus upon this landscape till she froze herself into it.

However she underestimated her friend's patience. For a long while Conner chose to wait and hold on tightly onto her, keeping her body close despite how frozen in temperature it had become until finally she stopped struggling and became limp.

"Christine…" Conner mumbled and looked down.

Christine was in tears again, though this time she was not sobbing or gulping. The tears just fell from her dead purple eyes.

"…I saw him" she murmured into the silence, her voice so small it was almost swallowed by the morning mist "I saw my papa next to me…just before I was taken underground. At first I thought it was just a hallucination but…but he touched me…he held me…he called me his baby girl just like he used to…it was as if he hadn't left…and I hoped he wouldn't…I hoped he would come back…I was such an idiot, so stupid to think that he could. It should have been me-"

"No! No it shouldn't be you to go!" Conner swiftly cut across her as he held her closer into his chest. "He's your family. You love him and there's nothing stupid about wanting him back but you shouldn't ever go!"

"When Red Queen attacked you at Yellowstone last year…I thought you'd never come back…and I was terrified. We all were…I know your father was your family…but you're _our_ family too. And we don't want to lose you."

"…Conner…" Christine choked looking up at him with wide eyes. The super clone's face was just as sad as her own though he was capable of restraining his tears.

"He is right you know" a voice called from below and Conner and Christine quickly looked down over the edge of the boulder to see Kaldur, Dick and the entire team standing below them and looking up.

Freddy stepped forwards and her lips trembled as she spoke up to her friend.

"Chris…I know you've blamed yourself for all these years but you must understand. These were events that happened outside of your control…and no matter what you think you were in no way responsible for anything. Your dad was a good man…but even the best of people make bad decisions that hold worse consequences for others than the bad decisions made by evil people"

"Jesus! Speak English Fred! OY CHRIS" Martin called loudly making everyone wince "I don't suppose you could translate that mouthful to us idiots could you?!"

Christine could almost not help herself. She snorted with laughter, so hard that her tears spilled over once more. She sobbed and choked and laughed all at once trying her best to pick out one emotion only to find they were all concealed in a bubbling mass of everything.

It was with great difficulty that she managed to compose herself enough to speak.

"You idiots" she hiccupped "I'm upset but I'm not going to commit suicide right here on the spot!"

"well that's good to know. But wait hang on am I included in the stupid group?" Wally pouted childishly "I mean I can understand Dick being an idiot but me babe?"

"Yes Wally you are an idiot as we all very well know." Artemis rolled her eyes fondly just as Zatanna raised her eyebrows up at the super clone holding the girl wonder.

"If you two wouldn't mind coming down here. We'd like to give Girl Wonder a hug"

"Yeah because she desperately needs one" Raquel snorted folding her arms sassily. "And superboy just can't keep hogging all the fun"

At this Christine really smiled wide.

"You guys are the biggest, stupidest, most stubborn idiots I have ever met!"

_But I love you all so much…_

* * *

><p>"No…" there was a hissing sound as a pair of shadows quickly descended down to hide behind some rocks.<p>

One of them, the one that had spoken, was only dressed in a plain black stealth suit and had a jet black mask over the top of his face. He scowled irritably as he watched the group of teenagers mingle and hug and laugh together.

"Deathstroke will not be pleased to hear this"

The figure beside him, another kelvar clad man but with a silver birds mask over his face, smirked softly under his breath.

"Only if you tell him"

His fellow quickly whipped round to face him but no sooner did he do so he felt something sharp and hard pierce straight through his chest…right into his heart.

Aquila's teeth grit in a sneer as he pushed the man away from him and into the long shrubbery on the side of his hiding place. The children were loud and too absorbed in their own affairs and their bioship was parked in the opposite direction. They would not notice a thing.

_That is good…_

The masked man sighed heavily with relief as he caught sight of a familiar head of white hair and skin from a distance.

_If she knew she'd be in even more danger._

"Don't you worry Baby Girl…" he murmured under his breath as he took off the silver mask. As he did he ran a hand through his dark brown hair pushing it away from his warm brown eyes.

"I'll keep you safe I promise"

But even as Stanley Stuart Hallows Jnr looked upon his daughter his heart twinged painfully with longing.

"And then you can be truly happy"

* * *

><p>WHOOHOO! bet you guys did not see that coming.<p>

so yeah that was one whopper of a chapter. the title Imbrute is a word that means to sink to the level of brutish violent behavior (pretty fitting given this chapter's subject matter).

It took me a while to look up the origins of Venom (which is the same venom from season 1) it says on the YJ wiki that it was derived from a serum created by a hero called Hourman who was apart of the Justice Society of America. i don't really know much else but feel free to look up on the internet because that is actually not made up.

hope you enjoyed and keep R&Ring for more. The next chapters got a lovely juicy surprise on the way especially for you ;)


	11. Chapter 10

**Episode 10: J-Bird**

**(The Cemetery) Isle of Brumalund, June 6 2011, 06:04 BST**

There was silence as Bruce Wayne walked through the silent and haunting shadows of the tall tombstones on either side.

Morning mist swirled about his legs and eyes but thanks to years of honing his senses for the darkness and

The Isles grand cemetery was nearly as infinitely ominous and as sinister as the one that stood on the outskirts of Gotham city, though admittedly the air was ten times cleaner here than back on the mainland of Northern America.

But the only remaining Wayne's thoughts were not bent upon his parent's deaths or the mission that came with it (for once). Instead he turned his gaze upon a young woman with long dark brown hair who was standing in front of a tall grey statue of an angel, her face calm but grim.

"Hey" she mumbled when he came close enough to stand beside her.

"Hey yourself" Bruce replied calmly before following her gazed up to the top of the statue towering over them from above. "What's wrong?"

"There was a little robin sitting there on the angel's wing" she smiled softly "he was twittering around quite happily before you came."

"hmm…I see" Bruce smirked softly though his lips were quick to drop a little.

"Yes at nine o'clock the jet will leave"

"And my grandmother?" Christine Evelyn Hallows' eyes turned sharply on him.

"Has granted me custody of Nessa" Bruce nodded quietly "It nearly took me all night but eventually she gave in. As long as you and your sister promise to visit during the summer holidays and call her every so often."

"That's it? No verbal battles? No trying to control the situation? No trying to break me up with my boyfriend because of racial prejudice?"

Christine narrowed her eyes up at her guardian when his only reply was silence.

"There's something else isn't there?"

Bruce nodded quietly.

"Your grandmother has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It's in its fairly minor stages now, but considering her age and health it'll probably take hold in a few years and she will no longer be eligible to look after herself let alone Nessa or you."

"Oh…" Christine bit her lip and looked down at the ground.

Bruce sighed heavily and put a hand on his adoptive daughter's stiff shoulder.

"Chris…I know you're still angry with her, but she is your only family of flesh and blood left to you. Which is why you should try and make amends before it is too late. You don't have to do it right away but make it soon. Whatever said and done, family is perhaps one of the most important things we can have."

Christine nodded slowly.

"I'll try to call her next weekend…when we've settled back to normal"

The corners of Bruce's mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly.

"Well I think you'll be very pleased to hear that we might have to return to our routine soon. Gotham needs us"

"And let me guess. The League's sick of looking after our city?" Christine smirked fondly. It was one thing to be the hero of a city. But it was an entirely different matter to be a hero of Gotham.

Gotham wasn't so much a city as it was its own dark wretched world most of the time. The pollution, rain and dirt alone were enough to drive anyone mad. It was no wonder that the criminals in residence were the cream of the craziest most bloodthirsty crop, the police force still very much corrupted in certain pockets (even under leadership of the honourable Commissioner Jim Gordon) and the everyday people were the epitome of civilised cynics.

Even Superman found it hard to deal with the absolute city of darkness and he was one of the strongest heroes of the Justice League.

Bruce smirked back at his protégé allowing his pride to show through now that he was not wearing the cowl or the cape, as he pulled out his cell phone from a suit pocket and held it up.

As he did so a hologram popped into existence in-between the two of them showing the figure of a burly man in his late thirties, early forties with reddish brown hair and dark blue eyes and wearing the usual assortment of tattered but hardy clothes usually seen worn by the lower end residents of Gotham's East End.

"This is Willis "Big Bill" Todd. Age 39 works as hired muscle wherever he can. His rap sheet is mostly made up of petty thefts and minor physical assaults but nothing too majorly disastrous. At least till last night. He has been arrested by Gordon for breaking into Leslie Thompkin's clinic last night and stealing nearly all of the morphine she had."

"Which is kinda strange since he's not a morphine addict!" came a familiar voice from high above.

Both Christine and Bruce looked up to see Dick Grayson in his dark jeans and jacket as he crouched on top of the Hallows crypt roof, his muscles tensed as if he were almost ready to spring off.

Christine's face split into a wide smile "how nice of you to join us wonder boy"

"Our first case back on the job." The boy wonder in question grunted as he deftly hopped down from his high stone perch grinning widely from ear to ear "Wouldn't miss it for the world"

"No…no not our case…_your_ case" the Dark Knight's expression softened as both birds looked at him.

"Pardon?" Christine blinked as Dick just stared in shock.

"You heard me." Bruce's face was calm but his voice was low and serious "You both wanted to move on from being sidekicks. Well here's your chance. If you require my help on anything I will gladly give it to you. But from now until this case is solved you both get to call the shots"

"Y-You're kidding?" Dick gulped. His partner similarly had her eyes bulging inelegantly out of her skull.

"Dad…you're really going to let us…go through with this?"

"The way I look at it now Christine" and at this Bruce's eyes turned slightly sad "You're going to go ahead with your own plans anyway. Am I wrong?"

"…no…no you're not…"

There was a quiet as Christine and Dick both looked at one another, their eye movements speaking volumes more than words could ever between the two of them.

Again a tiny stab of envy prodded at the Dark Knight's heart as Dick finally broke the silence, his voice soft as he stepped in close to murmur into his partner's ear, lacing their fingers together tenderly.

"Are you ready?"

"Whenever you are" Christine squeezed his hand back. "Partners remember?"

Dick smirked as she leaned in to kiss his cheek.

Bruce rolled his eyes. He may have given them approval to date one another…but that didn't mean he had to like seeing them get all mushy with one another either.

* * *

><p><strong>Gotham City, June 7 2011, 15:34 EDT<strong>

"Oh GOD! It's great to be home!"

"You said it Fred. Oh that dress looked pretty cute"

Both the blonde and brunette girls smiled widely as they walked down the length of one of Gotham's high end streets. They were both alone, seeing as the residents of Wayne manor were sleeping in for the day recovering from jet lag. The same with the team though they were mostly chilling back at Mount Justice instead.

However Fredericka Lantern and Christine Hallows were wide awake and ready to go, seeing as both spent much of their early childhoods travelling with their parents around the globe.

But now they were both just content to be back in their home city, slurping milkshakes as they wandered past the many shops and boutiques that shimmered and gleamed on either side of them, their appearances normal thanks to the two brand new yellow and purple glamour charms clipped about both their necks.

Christine's grin widened as she saw her best friend quickly glance at a pet shop window in which a multitude of colourful fish were swimming around in their tanks.

"So…how are things going between you and Kaldur?"

There was a loud spurt of milkshake onto the pavement as the curly haired blonde spluttered and choked.

"M-me and Kaldur? W-why would there be anything going on between us?"

"dunno that's why I asked" Christine shrugged though her now brown eyes were glinting mischievously.

Freddy scowled, blushing to the roots of her curls.

"We're just friends"

"Uh huh and I'm a speedster" Christine quirked an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Freddy glowered sidelong as she tossed her mostly empty cup into a nearby rubbish bin.

"Don't try to hide it Fred. I've seen the cute way you two are together"

"I have no idea what you're talking about" Freddy folded her arms.

"Oh come on!" Christine laughed loudly poking her friends shoulder "the small conversations alone, the private cave tours"

At this Freddy's face turned if possible even redder.

"Kaldur was just showing me around so I wouldn't get lost"

"Freddy you've got the memory of an elephant when it comes to directions. You couldn't lose your way even if you tried." Christine snorted and Freddy rolled her eyes.

"Fine so we hang out together so what? I hang out with George and Martin too, and Dick and the other guys. What makes it so different from that?"

"Because none of those other guys are tall handsome Atlantian's with nice mellow voices and polite chivalrous manners"

"Ok so he's hot and a nice guy. Still doesn't mean I like him in that way" Freddy sighed and Christine pinched the bridge of her nose

"Oh my god you are in such denial! Seriously Fred, a blind hedgehog could be able to tell me that just from one glance at the two of you togeth-Whoa!"

The girl wonder cried out in alarm as someone smaller than her brushed past her. At once she felt her handbags weight suddenly shift from full to very light and empty.

She looked up quickly only to see a dark head of hair disappear into a sea of heads.

"HEY! Get back here" she yelled as she made to dash.

"oh crap! Chris wait up!" Freddy called from behind, but already the girl wonder was streaking through the crowds gaining on the thief.

She vaguely noticed as she ran, that the culprit was much shorter than her, probably more than a head and that they were small and skinny and clad in a dark red hooded sweater.

_Some kid decided to have fun picking my pocket on my off day?! Just my luck._

She rolled her eyes as the kid made to side step into an ally way.

Christine quickly slid behind him, ignoring the shouts from behind her.

_Freddy must have informed a policeman_

And of course being the daughters of Billionaire Bruce Wayne and Fashion Designer Jaqueline Lantern the Gotham police wouldn't dare not assist them.

_Not that I need their help_

The girl wonder's eyes narrowed with focus as she began to push her legs harder and faster. She was gaining on the kid; she was almost level with them, she was at the heels of their worn out second hand black converse shoes.

"Gotcha!" she grunted as with a powerful spring, she leapt upon the thief, who shouted and fell under her weight.

"OW! Gerroff me" a boy's voice snarled as Christine made to snag her beige handbag out of his grip, before quickly pawing through the front pockets of his sweater.

"And I believe that's mine. Thank you very much" she smirked smugly as she pulled away tucking her cell phone into her own pocket.

There was a scuffling noise and she quickly looked up to see the boy scrambling up to his feet, his red hood falling back from his head.

From the looks of it he couldn't have been older than ten years old at most.

His hair was black, not raven black cowlicks like Dick's or Bruce's neat blue black locks, but black with very small hints of brown and extremely short and messy. His eyes were blue too, but deep like pools of dark cerulean that seemed to gleam as he glowered up at her.

"What are you looking at?" he grumbled and it was just then that Christine noticed the tear in his extremely worn out pair of jeans. She looked over the rest of his clothing. All of it was in just as terrible state as the jeans, tattered, oversized, worn out, even darned in some places especially his dark T-shirt.

She bit her lip guilt beginning to gnaw at her as she caught sight of the scrapes and grazes all over the kids rather thin arms and face which he was trying and failing to scrub at.

"Hey you ok?" she asked quietly stepping towards him but the boy only stepped back his glare hardening.

"I'm fine!"

But Christine just rolled her eyes. She'd seen far too many prideful tantrums from Dick and the boys on the Team to last her a life time. This was no different.

"You should get some antiseptic on those" she pointed to the bleeding grazes which looked rather painful "before they get infected"

"Shut up! I don't need any stinkin' pity from you" The boy growled at her angrily before attempting to wipe at the grazes on his palms with his sleeves.

"And I'm not giving you any" Christine raised her eyebrows at him calmly "Either way I'm taking you to get those looked at whether you like it or not. Consider it as your punishment for stealing my bag"

And before he could stop her, the girl wonder quickly grabbed the boy by the arm and dragged him out back into the street where a police man was standing talking with Freddy who quickly called out to her friend as soon as she saw her.

"Oh there you are! I was just going to call you! Hey isn't that-"

"This kid's with me" Christine steamrolled over her friend as she addressed the officer. "The guy that tried to steal my purse bumped into him and hit him pretty hard into the pavement. He was long gone by the time I caught up with him. But he dropped my bag so I was able to get everything back"

She gave a meaningful look at Freddy who quickly shut her mouth. The boy meanwhile looked fairly stunned, though the officer didn't even bother to look at him twice. Street kids in Gotham were so common that even the police usually turned a blind eye, unless they themselves were parents with kids of their own.

And so it was with a noncommittal shrug that the police man standing there took down the basic details for record before shuffling off to haunt whatever coffee shop he had decided to plant himself at on his shift.

"…thanks…"

Christine quickly turned round to see that the boy beside her was looking down to the ground shuffling on his feet uncomfortably; his face dusted a light pink.

"No problem"

Her face softened slightly, though inwardly she was confused. For some reason she had a really good feeling about this kid. Even the winds about him felt pleasant which was odd considering that they rarely felt good about many people.

_Let not his appearance deceive you Christine…_

Zephyra's whispering voice echoed in her mind and she shut her eyes for a moment.

_This child has much potential in him…good potential if he's guided by the right hand._

"Hey kid-" Christine opened her eyes again, but even as she blinked, the boy was gone.

She looked at Freddy who looked just as startled as she was.

"H-hey hey don't look at me" the blonde stuttered "I can barely see you when you pull of your ninja moves."

Christine sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

_Just who was that kid?!_

But even as she looked at the spot he had been in she did not notice the sounds of the small red chested robin as it sat twittering and singing on a branch above her head…nor the shadow that looked down upon her from the window of a three story building.

* * *

><p>"Hmm…there you are"<p>

A man's deep voice murmured from behind an gold/orange and black mask as he watched the young teenager and her friend quickly look about for a sign of the young street rat that had been just at their side a moment ago.

He smirked as he pulled a small spy glass out from a pocket of his own black utility belt and peered out into the rest of the street.

There was no sign of Bruce Wayne or of her partner the boy wonder, or of the girl's insufferable team anywhere.

"tut-tut! Sneaking out of the house while daddy's not looking. Not exactly the best of children are you Swift?" the watcher turned his gaze back on the girl wonder who was now talking with her blonde friend seemingly very put out.

Well what else could she have expected from a common class street rat anyway.

_But then again she is just as oh so noble as both her fathers_

He rolled his eyes as he leant away from the window he was stationed at. It was no secret to the wide world that Christine Evelyn Hallows was a kind, warm hearted person. Every year she donated part of her own inheritance to various charities, quietly making sure that the money actually went towards the services they were providing for rather than the pockets of those that ran them. From all the media he had gathered clips of her in her volunteering roles, her most common activity being playing amongst children at orphanages.

It didn't help that she was pretty and had features that were easily recognisable from anywhere in a crowd. It was that that had made the watcher's initial mission to kidnap her all the more harder, for if she were to be taken it would never be kept silent for long.

_And that wonder boyfriend of hers would never let her out of his sight if he knew she was in danger…_

But even as he thought this the corners of his lips curled in a sneer.

_But maybe that's what it will take._

* * *

><p><strong>Gotham City Police Headquarters, June 7 2011, 20:56 EDT<strong>

"Gordon"

"Jesus!"

Commissioner Jim Gordon jumped and wheeled about as the familiar tall imposing figure of the dark knight loomed suddenly out of the darkness of the rooftop's shadows.

"You've been busy" Batman growled in his usual dark tones, though inwardly he was hiding a large smug smirk of amusement.

"Oh it's just you." Gordon sighed half in relief half in irritation "You really have to stop doing that. I don't think my blood pressure could take any more of those kind of things"

"But it can deal with petty criminals working for bigger fish" the white slits in the black cowl narrowed.

"Ah yes. The Big Billy case" Gordon coughed as he pulled out a yellow folder. "We've tried to get him to talk but he's staying pretty tight as a clam. He knows he's actually going to face solid jail time for this but he's still refusing to give up anything."

"it's because he works for Two Face" a female voice spoke and again Gordon almost jumped a foot in the air as suddenly Swift the girl wonder suddenly appeared into existence by the Batman's side. "see all of the thefts he's committed coincide with the dates Two Face had these items stolen."

"W-what? Where did you-" but the Commissioner barely had time to register her sudden appearance when a dark shape leapt down from a neighbouring building and onto the rooftop before rolling to his feet by the Dark Knight's side.

"if it's two face then he'll most likely be hiding out close to the courtrooms again. Or at least one of the dock warehouses if he's desperate" The shadow spoke with a familiar voice of a young man.

Gordon blinked as he squinted in the light emitted by the bat signal blaring up into the sky behind him. It couldn't have been the boy wonder. No…he was a growing boy yes, but he would never wear so much black kelvar, nor would he ever take off the cape, or have two eskrima sticks by his sides on his plain black utility belt.

But even as he looked he recognised the mop of black hair and the small grin on the younger boy's face.

"R-Robin is that you?"

The boy looked up as did the Batman and Swift and Gordon was sure that underneath all their masks they were all quirking an eyebrow at him.

"S-Sorry" the man coughed quickly "I was just surprised that's all"

The Batman nodded before quickly growling in usual business like fashion.

"Has there been any word of Two Face on the street?"

"No" Gordon pushed up his glasses on his nose "and that's the weird thing. He broke out last Tuesday but there has been very little word of him on the streets. Wherever he is he's making sure to hide low"

"And yet one of his goons slips up on the job and blows his cover" Robin frowned in concern "No wonder Billy's keeping his mouth shut. His boss is so not going to feel the aster when he comes looking for him."

He glanced at Swift who nodded once before quickly looking up at Gordon.

"Does Billy have any family or loved ones living in Gotham?"

"Just one son. Around ten years old or so. They both live somewhere along Crime Ally. The address is in the file" Gordon jerked his head towards the east where the infamous danger hotspot of Gotham lay dormant…at the moment that was.

The Bats all exchanged glances.

"I bags interrogating Billy" Robin suddenly chimed before flipping out of sight.

"And I'll check out the warehouses and the court houses" Swift nodded once to Batman who gave her a sharp look. She rolled her eyes.

"I won't take Two Face on I'll just recon. I'll com you if I get anything"

"Com even if you don't find anything" Batman hissed under his breath "if something happens at least I'll be able to track down your signal. I'll be in Crime Alley if you need me"

Swift nodded once to show she'd understood before quickly vanishing within the blink of an eye.

Gordon groaned under his breath.

Great! Not only did the Batman disappear on him now, so were the two kids.

"And speak of the devil" he rolled his eyes as he quickly saw that he was suddenly alone on the rooftop.

_Typical…_

* * *

><p><strong>(The Docks) Gotham City, June 7 2011, 21:27 EDT<strong>

Swift barely suppressed a shudder as an unpleasant chill slid up the back of her neck.

She was sneaking about one of the unused warehouses on the docks. Everything around her was dark and silent. She could barely see anything without her night vision lenses installed in her mask.

_God Two Face could you just pop up somewhere already!_

She rolled her eyes as she peered around the corner of another large shipping crate only to find an empty space. Or was it empty.

_Who the hell…_

She squinted as she caught sight of a tall silhouette standing in the centre of the space, their form illuminated by the sliver of moonlight that shone through a high vaulted window from above.

They seemed to be wearing dark kelvar and sporting a katana in their right hand.

_Wait a moment Katana?!_

"Come out Swift" a deep voice barked and she flinched in horror as she recognised the tones.

She looked up and saw that the figure had turned towards her, a golden orange and black mask covering its face.

"Deathstroke" she stood up calmly from her hiding place.

"That's much better" Deathstroke smirked from behind his mask as he looked her over.

"What are you doing here?" the girl wonder hissed twirling a hand behind her back so that a ribbon of wind was tightly clenched about it, ready to strike.

"I came to find you" Deathstroke tilted his head to the side slightly as he eyed her stance. "we have unfinished business"

"Not now we don't" Swift spat though inwardly she was beginning to panic as she caught sight of the grip over the sword tightening considerably.

Batman and Robin were half way across the city now. There was no way she'd be able to drag out a fight against a master assassin in time for them to come to her aide before she died or worse.

She brought her free hand up to hover over her utility, pretending to feel around for a smoke pellet as she made to tap at her belt buckle in which she knew was the emergency homing beacon. But before she could press the button Deathstroke snorted derisively.

"Go on then call your daddy, it's not like he'll be able to save you by the time we're through talking"

"Would you bet on that?" a voice spoke from the shadows and Swift quickly turned to see a familiar silver bird shaped mask slip out from a shadow to her right.

"And who the hell are you?" Deathstroke hissed as he eyed the new arrival's attire. Similar to his own suit but with less weaponry, though that in itself could be considered more threatening, especially considering that they seemed to be emitting a strangely powerful presence even as they snarled.

"I am someone who will not hesitate to kill you if you so much as touch a hair on this girl's head ever again".

Swift stilled in her spot. For some reason she could not fathom, the voice sounded eerily familiar.

For a moment or two she racked her thoughts as the two men stared one another down.

"Aquila…"

But within a split second of her movement Deathstroke lunged at her.

Swift felt herself be pushed aside by Aquila as he leapt at her to protect her from the swords stroke. It grazed him on the shoulder but it was shallow and not hitting any vital areas.

Even so it seemed to make his anger almost double.

He threw down a smoke pellet at once and yelled as he pushed the girl wonder away from himself.

"GO! Get back! I'll hold him off"

"No- wait-" Swift cried out but already she felt her saviour detach himself from her and disappear into the mist.

She tried to run towards the direction she'd seen his arm vanish only to hit air. But she could still plainly hear the sounds of thuds and slicing as her protector and attacker engaged in what seemed to be a heavy bout.

Swift could barely tell who was winning. Both opponents were grunting and groaning from the sheer voracity of their fight which seemed to escalate, higher and higher until-

"ENOUGH!"

There was a great flash of white and Swift quickly ducked as a giant burst of icy cold energy whipped out from a point just a few feet in front of her.

She coughed as she felt the smoke around her begin to thin out and looked up to see Aquila standing there in the middle of the spaceas he looked down on Deathstroke, who was lying unconscious on a heap of damaged wooden crates that were covered in a thin sheet of ice.

Swift's eyes bulged as she caught sight of the tiny frozen crystals floating about her and settling on the ground which had frozen itself about her feet.

She looked back up at Aquila and choked at what she saw. His mask was still secure around his face but his hood had been flipped back, revealing a head of shockingly white hair and even paler skin.

Noticing where she was looking Aquila quickly strode up to her and put a hand to her cheek.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm…I'm fine" Swift gulped her eyes still wide.

"You…the ice…you're like me-but how-?"

Aquila's thumb smoothed itself gently over her cheek.

"I'll tell you in time. But for now…rest…you will be back home before you know it."

Swift opened her mouth to protest but before a sound could even escape her mouth there was a pinch in the side of her neck and her mind went completely black.

* * *

><p><strong>(Crime Alley) Gotham City, June 7 2011, 22:34 EDT<strong>

A young ten year old boy in a red hooded sweater and worn out jeans poked his head out from behind a dustbin. His deep cerulean blue eyes, usually so serious and cynical about the world, were now filled with wonder as he looked upon the dark mass that sat parked in the shadows of the small alleyway.

He could not believe what he was seeing.

It was the batmobile…the freaking batmobile…and it was parked right outside the fire escape to his apartment!

The boy grinned as he quietly slunk out of his hiding place and step by step reached out to touch the dark vehicle.

He almost laughed out loud when he ran his fingers over the black bonnet, which was still slightly warm after just being parked in this spot.

_That means the batman must be here somewhere_

He ran his fingers over the large wheels. By god they must have been pretty darn expensive…

_Could get me enough cash to last me three weeks now that dad's gone back in the slammer_

He quickly glanced behind himself. He'd heard rumours that the Batman was forever lurking in the shadows of the night and that he somehow had a sixth bat sense, (though the boy knew that was probably all rubbish), and that he could fly from place to place like a bat himself.

_Well if he's so good at flying, then he won't miss a wheel or two_

The boy smirked to himself.

He could not believe he was going to do this.

* * *

><p>Batman looked around the small dark and dingy apartment with narrowed eyes.<p>

He'd seen a lot of horrible places in his time on patrol, and even he wasn't the neatest of people in his own time at home (not since he always had Alfred cleaning up after himself) but even this was pushing his limits.

There were piles and piles of unwashed laundry and food wrappers lying about the floor of the living room. The kitchen which was barely about a metre in length and only had a stove and a small sink and half a counter top, was caked with grime and mould was growing on one of the cabinets above. The bathroom was just as bad if not worse.

_And to think he's allowed to raise a child when he can barely keep his home fit to breathe in._

The dark knight almost cringed at the smell that entered his nose when he took a much needed inhale of air. He'd been trying to hold it in for as long as he could, but he was still human after all.

He clapped a gloved hand over his mouth and looked about.

Apart from the smaller sized clothes in the laundry baskets scattered around him there were no other signs of any child or child sized objects. Not even a photograph, if any could be found in the filth.

He glared down at the multitude of beer bottles that littered the living room floor at the base of a moth eaten sofa.

_Well that explains a lot…but where's the-_

THUNK!

Batman froze and quickly pricked his ears.

Thunk! Thunk!

The sound was coming from outside.

He walked towards the one window to the side of the house that over looked the alley way he'd parked the batmobile and looked down.

_What on earth?_

He blinked.

There was someone down there with the batmobile.

As quick as lightning he slid out the fire escape and quietly jumped down to the ground. What he saw almost made his jaw drop.

A boy was sitting by the base of the big black vehicle, holding a giant tyre in his arms and looking gleeful.

That is, until he looked up and saw him.

"Oh crap"

The boy's blue eyes widened in horror just as a tiny red chested bird chirped for a small moment high above as it settled itself in to sleep in its nest.

* * *

><p><strong>Wayne Manor, June 8 2011, 06:48 EDT<strong>

"Master Dick, She's waking up"

Christine winced a little as she cracked open an eye.

The light in her bedroom was always pretty bright, but it seemed even more so after being unconscious.

She was glad when a shadow blocked most of it from her eyes.

"Hey missy" Dick murmured gently reaching forwards and stroking her white hair out of her face. "You ok?"

"Yeah…" Christine blinked doing her best to sit up.

Dick quickly helped her up holding her steady when she dizzily spun a little.

"Easy, you've been out cold for a bit" the boy wonder gently held her face in his hands steadily as he saw her vision straighten out.

"Would you like me to get some water?" Alfred spoke from the sidelines anxiously.

"Yeah water would be great…thanks Alfy" Christine mumbled wiping at her eyes and at once the butler quickly bustled out of the room.

There was a long silence in which Christine just focused on her breathing and on the feel of her partner's hands over her face. Her skin felt sweaty, clammy…and her head throbbed like a truck had just run over it.

"What happened?" she asked her voice hoarse and quiet.

At this Dick's face turned grave.

"I got your signal so I came to help you at the docks. Only when I got there you were already unconscious. So I guess the real question is what happened to you?"

Christine blinked as she tried to remember. Then suddenly she gasped.

"Deathstroke! Oh my god Dick he was there and so was Aquila. They fought and-"

"Wait hold up who's Aquila?" Dick asked exchanging an alarmed glance with Alfred who had just come bustling back into the room with a tray laden with water and toast. It wasn't much but it would be easy to digest until she felt good enough to come down to the kitchens and eat properly.

Christine bit her lip. "I'm not sure who he is exactly…but he's saved my life twice now. Once from Luthor and just now from Deathstroke and he's-"

But at that exact moment there was a loud beeping sound and suddenly the sound of their mentor's deep growl filled the room from Christine's ear com which was placed on her bedside table.

"Dick, Alfred come downstairs at once. If Christine is awake bring her with you. We have something to discuss"

There was a beep as the connection shut off on the other end.

"The case. He's got something" Christine sighed.

"Are you sure you're ok to go?" Dick eyed her worriedly even as she made to swing her legs over the side.

"Yeah! Yeah I'll be fine" she waved him off as she stood to her feet. Quickly she grabbed her purple dressing gown from her desk chair and stuffed the toast Alfred had left for her on the tray into her mouth, ignoring the butler's tiny disapproving shake of the head.

They made their way down the stairs and through the giant house and down into the kitchen. Christine almost cried with relief as she smelled the familiar scent of Alfred's delicious cooking. Whilst she was staying at Brumalund, she usually went out to eat or made something for herself at the cottage, but even then that was mostly toasted sandwiches and cheap microwaveable dishes.

But now Alfred's food was like a breath of fresh air, fresh and warm and full of vitality that invigorated her even without entering her mouth.

She entered the kitchen expecting to see a giant feast sitting on the centre island only to suddenly still in her steps.

There seated on a stool and eating a plate of scrambled eggs was a dark haired boy with deep blue eyes.

He looked up as soon as he saw her enter and his face also fell like a stone.

"Oh Christine you're up" Bruce's voice wafted into the room as he came in from another side door that led down to the pantry. He was looking reasonably refreshed, though his gaze did look worried as he gazed upon his adoptive daughter whose eyes were bulging out of their sockets.

It was him. The boy that had stolen her bag just yesterday…and here he was sitting in her kitchen?

Outside she heard the faint chirping of a bird but for once she was in no mood to appreciate the pretty song it sang.

She instead exchanged a glance with Dick who had just come up beside her and was also staring down at the boy in a mixture of shock and confusion.

"What the hell-" he whispered but then Bruce coughed loudly over the top of him.

"Dick, Christine…this is Jason Todd. He's going to be staying with us for a while"

* * *

><p>TADAA! there you have it my dears! i present to you the second Robin JASON TODD!<p>

god it took me forever to find out the correct back story. but then i found out that there were a few of them already out there and also that there were so many versions of the same character. so i decided to mix them up a bit.

here are my changes. Jason is usually seen as either a red head or a black head, so i decided to make him a brown black instead to fit both categories (plus his father's red head). on the topic of his father, in some universes they say that he worked for Two Face and that his wife is dead (so that is true in some sense i guess). also in some origin stories it has Jason stealing from DR Leslie Thompkins whilst the other versions usually stick to him stealing the tires of the batmobile.

but being the author that i am i decided to combine those two origins into one plus add in my own little tidbit. (gotta love the power of fanfiction)

Anyways i hope you enjoyed this chapter. feel free to review me on what you think about this version of Jason so far because there will be plenty more to come from him in the future i can assure you ;)

Keep R&Ring peoples!


	12. Chapter 11

**Episode 11: Kerberos **

**Mount Justice, June 12 2011, 10:09 EDT**

The team waited patiently in their uniforms in the main hall of the cave with Red Arrow and Black Canary who had one hand on her hip and her watch in her other one. It was Saturday and usually by this time they would be training.

However there was just one little thing they were all missing. Swift and her three elemental friends.

"So Black Canary have you been to Brumalund before?" Miss Martian asked awkwardly as the Heroine sighed.

"Once, six years ago. Ollie and I were chasing down Merlyn. He's a mercenary for the league of Assassins" She added when Zatanna opened her mouth to speak "He'd been sent to kill Earl…the _late _Earl Stanely Hallows. Apparently he was helping fund a covert military operation that would oust Queen Bee from her position as dictator of Biyalia and set a democratic government in her place. We managed to save his life however Merlyn got away with valuable information and the operation had to be called off."

"Wow" Artemis's eyebrows rose as did everyone else's "Did you know he was y'know, Christine's grandfather?"

"no I did not" Black Canary admitted "honestly I just found out the news around the same time you guys did."

"I still can't believe she didn't tell us she was a Countess" Kid frowned as he snagged a bite off his protein bar "I mean how long have we known each other? Doesn't she trust us?"

"Of course she does" Black Canary said soothingly, though she looked a little worried. It seems it was taking longer for the team to come to terms with this new piece of information, than she'd originally thought.

"But you must understand all of you. Bearing a title like the one Christine has means she has a lot of responsibility weighing on her shoulders. Also think about all the unwanted attention being a countess would attract from the public. You think being a hero is tough? With so much wealth and power at her disposal the fact that she's even _related_ to aristocracy means that danger won't be too far behind. And not just for her but for the people she cares about as well. Also there is the fact of her father's death. If she does assume the title it would mean going back to Brumalund which would also mean dealing with a lot of emotional issues which I'm guessing is rather difficult for her at the moment."

"… She keeps all that under wraps but still manages to fight crime every day?" Superboy mumbled.

"Someone give that girl a medal" Rocket snorted "If I were to have all that plus hero duty on my head I'd have gone crazy in one day!"

"More like one minute" Artemis pinched her nose.

"Which begs the question" Aqualad spoke up "What are we going to do to help her through this?"

There was a silence as everyone looked down at the floor.

"Guy's! GUYS! WE'RE READY!"

There was a deep sigh of fond exasperation and several giggles as Freddy Lantern's white head of tight curls bounced into the hallway.

She was wearing a tight fitted black suit that was long sleeved and had black gloves on the ends. Her black combat boots were tough but one could just make out the slightly unusual sheen of the black material on the soles. On her face was a black mask similar to Artemis's, that held back most of the front curls down, but with white slits over the eyes. Over her waist she had a black utility belt.

Next to walk in were the two, now not so identical twins George and Martin. Both looked rather sheepish and had blushes on their faces (though George's blush only made his pale blue skin turn a dark purple).

Both were wearing similar full bodied skin tight black kelvar suits with small differences.

George wore no shoes nor gloves. His light blue feet were now slightly larger than most other peoples and like his hands they were webbed in the middle rather like a frogs limbs. His eyes were covered by no mask but by large clear transparent goggles that strangely magnified his large aqua eyes so that they appeared double their usual size.

Martin however had gloves, thick and heavy like the fire resistant boots he wore to cover his feet. He like his brother wore goggles though his were a dark red and were more like Kid Flash's own pair atop his head.

"Whoa you guys look so cool" The speedster ran forwards and clapped the twins on the back jovially as the team began to crowd around their newest friends.

"Wow this is just like Aqualad's suit" M'gann squealed as she touched the back of Georges suit to feel the material.

"needed something waterproof" the boy mumbled, but his brother just laughed loudly.

"Oh come on George live it up a little! How many people get to wear stuff like this and get away with it?"

"You said it Marty" Artemis smiled as she inspected Freddy's gloves. "is that Rubber?"

"So I don't accidently shock anyone" Freddy bit her lip "it's just temporary until I can find something to absorb the electric charges"

"I'm sure you'll find a solution soon" Aqualad piped in reassuringly and she blushed. Behind his back Red Arrow rolled his eyes.

"So do these cool new dos have names to go with them?" Zatanna crossed her arms and smirked at their new comrades who blushed and turned their heads down to the floor just as another voice called out.

"Not yet but we'll work on that when the time comes"

There was a small gasp as finally Robin and Swift stepped into the room, the latter carrying Vanessa in her arms. The girl wonder looked rather different now.

Like her three friends she was wearing a plain black kelvar stealth suit, with the addition of her usual boots, gloves, and a black mouth and domino mask. Her purple utility belt was the only thing any of them recognised and it stood out starkly over the black.

"uhh…it's a Robin and a…bat-Swift?" Kid Flash tilted his head in confusion.

"Had to change, my suit was getting frozen onto my skin. But hopefully with these suits the League genetically matched I should be fine" Swift rolled her eyes but refrained from saying anything as she watched her little sister's eyes open blearily before suddenly widening with delight.

"WOAH! Canary! Canary!" Vanessa squealed, bouncing up and down in her elder sisters arms with excitement at the sight of the blonde woman who had up till then been watching everyone with amusement. She looked delightedly surprised at the child's recognition.

"Why hello there" She smiled warmly walking up to the little girl. "You must be Nessa"

Vanessa nodded quietly, suddenly struck by shyness as Black Canary came close enough to her.

"Sissy say you teach to fight bad guys? Can I fight bad guys?"

"Not until you're older Nessa." Swift chuckled but inside she thought.

_Not until you're WAY older! Like never ever as long as you live!_

She grinned sheepishly up at her instructor.

"Couldn't just leave her to play on her own."

"No of course not" Black Canary nodded understandingly before turning back to Vanessa "Say Nessa would you like to help me teach today"

"Yes please!" The look on Vanessa's face was so bright and excited that M'gann couldn't help the squeal of adoration that rang loud and clear over the mental link. Not that anyone stopped her. Even the usually grumpy Red Arrow was having trouble controlling the small upwards twitch of his mouth.

"Total Mini swift!"

"I know right?"

He and Kid Flash both hissed in unison as Swift gently deposited the small child into Black Canary's arms.

Once the exchange was over Black Canary went to stand beside Wolf who was currently sitting placidly on the floor.

He looked up at Vanessa and at once stood up, craning his neck up to sniff her.

"Ha ha. Hi Wolfie!"

When Vanessa had first arrived at the cave, everyone had been rather wary about letting the large canine near such a small child. Wolf may have been used to living with the team but he was still a wild animal at his core and they didn't know if he would be able to deal with human children. But during their short stay Wolf grown quite fond of the little girl, indeed he was almost starting to treat her like his own puppy. He licked her face when she cried, he stood guard over her when she had to be left alone for a small moment, he even allowed her to play with his fur in ways that up till then, only Superboy had been allowed to do.

Everyone quickly paired off for sparring. Freddy, Martin and George were paired off with Aqualad, Superboy and Robin respectively and were training towards a far corner of the room in basic hand to hand combat. Out of all of the team the boy wonder and the Atlantian both had the most patience when dealing with new blood and Superboy could always withstand extreme conditions so it made them ideal partners for the beginning elementals.

Swift meanwhile was up against Red Arrow in the centre ring.

He'd become better over the past few months as he'd been training double times harder than his usual rate.

Swift almost shuddered at the memory of two months ago when Roy had stumbled into the mountain cave weak, battered and bruised like a man beaten ten times to Sunday.

The search for the real Speedy required a lot of effort on his part and more often than not attracted unwanted attention from rather powerful foes, many of whom were not happy to have league members snooping around for their plans.

"Go Sissy! You can do it!" came Vanessa's tiny cry from the sidelines.

Despite themselves, both teen hero's cracked smiles as everyone chuckled.

Oh it was good to be able to laugh once more.

An hour or so later, and Swift was called up once more to fight, this time against Kid Flash. Nessa was now sleeping on the floor against Wolf's furry belly as he too reclined, lazily watching his pack's progress.

"Hey no fair" Swift growled as Kid accidently sped out of the way again.

"Sorry you know it's hard" he whined. And indeed it was. Even after years of practice, not using his super speed in a fight was very difficult for him.

They both came in for a rally, Swift dodging all of Kid's moves and quickly jabbing him in the ribs before pulling away from him.

Just as she did though she inhaled roughly and froze.

If it hadn't been for the small pause she'd taken in their bout Swift was sure she would've missed it. The smell of something hot and burning…

She turned her eyes widening as a random blast of flame shot from the back of the hall, headed right towards-

"NESSA!"

The little four year old stirred a little before screaming in terror at the sight of the approaching burning inferno.

Swift didn't even think twice. Without any hesitation she leapt forwards flinging herself in front of her little sister and pushed out her arms. At once the familiar rush of cold energy swept through her as a wall of ice burst up suddenly in front of her protecting them both from the blast. Or at least most of it.

"ARGH!"

"SWIFT!"

"Sissy!"

Swift fell to her knees and clutched at her shoulder as the black material and, chalk white skin peeled away blistering hotly and painfully with each second.

She swore softly under her breath as Robin and Black Canary quickly dashed to her side.

"Second degree…but it's deep" the boy wonder informed their mentor whose face was as white as a sheet.

Swift hissed in pain as the muscles in her shoulder twitched with every movement made as she got to her feet.

She could hear Martin cursing to himself loudly from behind the pane of ice.

A part of her felt really resentful towards him, but then again she reminded herself of how unruly her powers had been in the beginning. She was only grateful she'd been able to get to Vanessa on time.

"Come on Swift, we're going to the infirmary now" Robin grunted as his partner leaned into him suddenly beginning to tremble as shock set in.

"Nessa…" she mumbled.

"Nessa's with Miss M"

Robin pointed to where the little girl was sobbing loudly as into the Martian girl's arms as she did her best to project calming and soothing thoughts into her mind, though it was proving to be very difficult.

"Aqualad, inform Batman" Black Canary barked and Aqualad nodded before turning to summon a holographic screen.

"Well this has been an eventful morning" Artemis sighed heavily.

"Let's just hope tomorrow goes off without a hitch" Wally agreed gravely as the Batman's concerned face appeared on the holo screen.

Swift was grateful that she was far down the corridor before the image of her mentor had crystalized. Black Canary noticed it too but said nothing till she and the boy and girl wonder were in the infirmary.

"Robin" the Heroine asked quietly "Could you please run to the kitchen and get us some water?"

"Chrissy?" Robin quickly glanced at his partner who nodded

"I'll be fine" She tried a smile though it came out as more of a wince as Black Canary quickly made to clean it with a cloth dipped into a bowl of cool disinfected liquid.

As soon as the boy wonder left the room Black Canary asked quietly.

"This your first time being burned?"

"Define burned Dinah, AHG!" Swift gasped as one of the angry red blisters burst with a rub of the cloth.

"It was a good thing you were quick with that barrier" Black Canary muttered tried her best to rub the damaged skin as tenderly as she could.

"But not quick enough"

Black Canary sighed.

"Christine…I know this is a hard time for you…and I know you don't like talking about your feelings…but if you ever feel like you need to talk…we're all here for you…"

"Thanks…" Swift smiled but the Heroine was not finished.

"Even Bruce will be there for you" Swift's face fell like a stone and Black Canary sighed as she saw the girls face turn the colour of parchment

"…I know things between you guys are a bit topsy turvy at the moment but he does care…he's just worried. We still don't know much about this new enemy or why he was targeting you or your friends - ok well that's not completely true seeing what has happened to them-" she added noting the girl wonder's quirked up brow.

"But back to the topic. Batman…Bruce…he's…he's worried about…argh I shouldn't even be telling you this but its only fair that you should know-"

"Che! Roy's right you do ramble when your nervous" Swift smirked derisively "so go on then…what does _Daddy dearest_ want to hide from me this time?"

Black Canary took a deep breath.

"Your mother Scarlett Tailor she's…she's publically announced her engagement last night to Lex Luthor"

"I know" Swift deadpanned and Black Canary nodded gravely.

"We figured you would but that's not the problem. The point is…they're both trying to file for custody of you"

"I knew that too" Swift's voice sounded light but her eyes were narrowed into slits "Luthor was kind enough to inform me of that when he captured me and the others. It was only a matter of time before it became public. But Bruce is still my primary legal guardian and I'm above the age of twelve so I get a say so in the matter. It's not like they can really do anything."

Black Canary shook her head and sighed. "Actually Christine…she's going to apply for Shared Custody of both you and Vanessa"

"WHAT?!" Swift shrieked so fiercely that the seat on which she sat instantly froze as it was suddenly covered by a sheet of ice.

"I know this isn't exactly the best of news to hear now" Black Canary continued over the top of her "however both Luthor and your mother are two of some of the few people in this world who have access to enough legal and financial power to take Bruce on in court. Not to mention we all know that Scarlett has enough followers behind herself as Red Queen to launch an attack on Gotham if she's desperate."

"Argh! This is not happening?! There is no way in hell I'm letting that bitch get hold of my baby sister!" Swift buried her face in her hand just as Robin came rushing back inside followed by a familiar dark figure.

"You told her?" Batman looked sternly at Black Canary who narrowed her eyes back.

"She had a right to know"

"Know what?" Robin glanced at Swift who bit her lip and quickly looked down to the floor as their eyes made contact.

"My _dear_ mother and Luthor want custody of both Nessa and me"

"NO! NO WAY! We've got to stop this!" the Boy Wonder glared up at Batman who narrowed his eyes.

"Fox is speaking to the Lawyers right now. I'm going to file for full custody of both you and your sister as well as custody for Jason Todd. However we've already been granted temporary custody for two months after your grandfathers funeral so that should give you some time to make your decisions … If you and Dick really want to leave that is. If so…I will not stop you. Like you said you're both old enough and mature enough to make your own decisions."

There was a silence as both Boy and Girl Wonder stared at the Dark Knight in shock.

Black Canary gulped as she saw the two birds quickly exchange glances and knew they were non-telepathically but still silently talking it through.

Finally after a long moment they both nodded and looked up at Batman.

"Batman…Dad…" Swift bit her lip. "what Robin and I were talking about earlier…we didn't actually want to leave the manor…we just…we just wanted to-"

"to graduate…from being the boy and girl wonder…" Robin piped in as he made to stand beside her "I mean…we aren't going to be your sidekicks forever"

"No…we aren't" Swift nodded solidly clutching at her patched up shoulder as it twinged "And we've got to start going solo sometime…and well…we've done so much. With you and the team…"

"…I know…" Batman growled softly, nodding.

Swift and Robin both sighed with relief as the corners of Batman's mouth twitched ever so slightly upwards.

However Swift was quick to backtrack.

"wait-wait a moment you said take custody of Jason too. What happened? I thought he had his dad"

Batman's eyes narrowed, though it was more with seriousness than anger.

"Jason's father, Willis "Big Bill" Todd, was found dead in his makeshift cell in Gotham Police Department at six hundred hours this morning"

"Dead?" Robin frowned "but I thought he was under tight twenty four hour watch"

"And so he was" Batman's jaw clenched "but the forensic autopsy report has just confirmed that there he was poisoned"

"Suicide?" Swift's entire body tensed, but Batman shook his head.

"No, murder. Bill was ready to confess to everything in exchange for going into witness protection with Jason. The paperwork was supposed to come in this morning,"

"but then they found him dead" Robin nodded exchanging a quick glance with Swift who bit her lip.

"How's Jason holding up with the news?"

"He seems to still be in a bit of shock. Actually I was going to ask if you two could return to the manor and just keep him company for tonight, but then I was also planning to send the team out for a mission."

"What kind of mission?" Robin smirked with mounting excitement.

"Covert recon at the British Museum"

"Ugh!" Robin pulled a disgusted face and Swift frowned.

"What's wrong with the British Museum?"

"Nothing nothing" the boy wonder quickly gulped though when his partner's back was turned he gave both Black Canary and Batman a fake vomiting mime.

Black Canary chuckled softly before coughing and speaking to Batman "Hey I've an idea since Swift's injured and it's just recon why don't you send the newbies instead with the others. It will be a good chance for them to wet their feet"

"Or burn them" Batman snapped but the heroine shook her head.

"Mistakes happen Batman, you and I both know that. The boy didn't mean for his powers to flare."

"Yeah remember me on my Birthday last year" Swift snorted derisively.

"Exactly, puberty mood swings and super-powers are not a good combination when the latter are uncontrollable" Black Canary added in a mutter but then suddenly he looked thoughtful. "We could put an inhibitor collar, and supress most of his powers that way."

"Keeping the shock level very low of course" Robin added when Batman glowered angrily "and when he keeps getting more control over his powers we can lessen the restraint on the collars settings."

Batman mulled this over silently in his head

"Very well then. But we'll need to ask Martin first how he feels about this. if he refuses to wear the collar he will have to stay behind at the cave and train until he is able to control them."

"But…" Swift gulped her voice trailing off.

Unlike her and Robin, Martin, George and Freddy had not chosen their paths to become heroes. They'd been forced into it by the meddling of fate. And whilst Batman had a very good point, she couldn't help but feel-

"I'll do it"

There was a silence as everyone turned round to see Martin standing in the doorway. His usually cheery face was grim and stony as he stiffly stepped into the room.

"I'll wear the collar"

"But Marty-" Swift jumped up to her feet, ignoring the pain in her shoulder.

"No Chris" Martin shook his head "I'm fine seriously. I can do this. Or do you think that just because I don't have superhero training I can't?"

His tone was light and his face looked relaxed, almost joking, but Swift could see the anger brewing behind the green-red eyes.

"It's not that Marty-"

"Then what is it?" Martin's eyebrows rose "Can't you trust me with that information? Or is it like how you didn't trust me with the fact that my dancing partner and best friend were both the boy and girl wonder?"

"Mart stop" Dick stepped forwards with his hands up "We know you're angry and we're sorry we kept the truth from you. We're sorry that you and George were kidnapped and-"

But Martin just put up a hand his head turned down to the ground.

"Dick just do yourself a favour and shut up" he spat his eyes turning on Batman who had been watching the exchange with narrowed eyes. "Where would I get one of those fancy dog collars you guys seem to like so much"

"in the tech room. Follow me" Batman growled turning on his heel and brusquely striding out the door.

Martin made to follow him, but before he exited he paused for a moment and looked back on his two friends.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but seemed to think better of it.

"Marty" Robin called but already he and Batman were out the door.

Christine growled in aggravation running a hand through her hair.

"Great just what we need. A case has gone to shit, one of our best friends hates us and my _dear mother_ is stirring up trouble again"

"It's not your fault" Black Canary put a hand on the young girl's shoulder "He's probably very confused, scared and frustrated at the moment, and he doesn't know any other way of how to express it. Just give him time, he'll come around"

But even as she said this both birds looked at one another, the same thought crossing over their minds.

_How long will that take?_

* * *

><p><strong>British Museum, June 12 2011, 22:34 GMT<strong>

To say that the atmosphere in Miss Martian's Bio ship was tense was an understatement.

Aqualad gulped as he looked about the ship interior.

Seated around him were the team members; Kid Flash, Artemis, Miss Martian (who was at the helm), Superboy, Wolf and Rocket; as well as their newest friends Freddy, George and Martin.

The three newbies were positively stiff with nerves, especially the lattermost who was fidgeting with the silver collar like contraption that was placed around his neck with a small scowl.

Aqualad's light green eyes softened with pity as the inhibitor collar beeped a couple of times, much to Superboy's irritation.

"What?" Martin frowned as the super clone scowled moodily at him.

"Nothing" he mumbled but even so, Superboy's eyes darted up to the white hot fire that surrounded Martin's white hair like a candle flame.

From the sidelines, Kid Flash caught his team leader's eye a worried grimace playing on his lips.

All the Team veterans knew that when Superboy was pissed it was never a good omen for their mission.

_Approaching drop zone A in five_

Miss Martian's voice cut across the silence through the mental link.

_Kid Flash, Artemis, George you're up_

_Right_

Artemis nodded turning to her boyfriend and the blue skinned boy beside her.

_You got your zip lines secure?_

_Almost_

George grunted only to puff when his webbed fingers slipped on the clasp.

_Here, I got that_

Kid zipped over and in barely a second both George and Artemis were snapped into their harnesses.

They both nodded in thanks, George's cheeks purple with an embarrassed flush that seemed to deepen as a hole appeared in the floor of the bio-ship.

_Well, here goes!_

Martin bit his lip as he watched his twin give him one last fleeting look before jumping down the hole with the two heroes, disappearing out of sight.

He barely heard Aqualad's next mental order to the helm as the Bioship made to zoom over to the next drop point.

_Alright, Freddy, Rocket get ready for drop zone B. We'll be landing on the dome so be careful. After that M'gann and Conner you both take Martin to Drop Zone C in the courtyard. Remember to camouflage when you land._

_Roger that_

Miss Martian chirruped but Superboy's grumpy pout only deepened.

_Superboy_

Aqualad raised a stern brow and the super clone rolled his eyes.

_Yeah-Yeah whatever._

Aqualad sighed, but he made no further comment as he made to help Freddy put on her safety harness.

As their fingers touched there was a tiny pause in which both of them blushed a little, much to Rocket's amusement.

_Ahem!_

There were smirks all round as both team leader and newbie jumped apart.

_Sorry!_

Aqualad coughed as did Freddy who bit her lip.

_No it's fine! I-I mean it was…We should go…_

_Yeah…yeah we should…._

Aqualad turned to Martin, Superboy and Miss Martian, his face now calm and stoic as ever.

"Make sure you all keep a level head alright."

"Shouldn't you be saying that to him?" Superboy grumbled, jerking a thumb at Martin who rolled his eyes and scowled back.

"Hark whose talking"

"Why you-" Superboy growled but Aqualad cut through his face stern.

"Enough both of you. Conner I placed Martin with you and Miss Martian because I thought you of all people would understand the difficulties of controlling your powers."

"Yeah I do" the Super Clone grumbled again "but at least I don't have fire powers that could kill M'gann"

"Wait-wait! Hold on a moment" Martin's eyes widened as he spun round to look at the helm "Fire will kill you?! Like I mean I know fire can kill humans but…are you like more-"

"Yeah" Miss Martian sighed and nodded her head sadly.

"But that's exactly why I put you with her" Aqualad steamrolled quietly but quickly. "You are wearing the inhibitor collar, however sometimes even that cannot be enough. Batman and I both thought that it might help you if you were to have a constant incentive to work towards, just in case"

"_Incentive_?!" Martin spluttered aghast "That is just-No! No way! No way can you put me with the one person who I could kill by accident! Especially when her moody super strong crazy boyfriend is breathing down my-"

"hey I'm right here!" Superboy growled, however just as he made to tower over the other boy a holographic message appeared on the front viewing window of the Bioship, to reveal the familiar black masked face of Batman.

"_Batman_ to _Aqualad report your-_" the Dark Knight stopped short when he caught sight of the scene before him.

"_What is going on here?_" he growled, the tones so stern that even Aqualad flinched

"Nothing Batman" the young Atlantian coughed quickly. "Just clearing a couple of pointers up before we reach drop zone."

Batman's white eye lenses narrowed as he made to clip dryly.

"_I should hope so. You're almost in optimum position. I suggest you get yourselves sorted out __**very**__ quickly._"

"Will do" Aqualad nodded quickly striding over to Freddy and fixing up her zip line before nodding at Miss Martian.

Quicker than shadows he Rocket and Freddy had jumped down the hole in the floor and out of sight, leaving Batman to glare at the three remaining teammates.

He glared particularly hard at Superboy and Martin who both quickly stepped away from one another, their eyes both glued on the floor. When he spoke next his voice was if possible even stonier than before.

"_Superboy I understand you have your concerns about Miss Martian's safety, but as two of the team veterans I expect absolute professionalism on this case. And that means you keep a level head and not let your emotions cloud your judgement of your teammates. The same goes for you Martin. If you really want to sort out your differences you can do it in your own time, but __**never**__ whilst on the mission. Not unless you wish to put your own lives at risk. Do I make myself clear?_"

There was a small silence as Superboy and Martin both glanced sidelong at one another. Or rather they both glared.

However they were quick to break eye contact when they heard Miss Martian cough stiffly.

"Of course they understand Batman. There won't be any _scrapping_ from either of them from now on." She added with a small glance over to the two boys who both quelled under her icy stare she sent their way.

Batman seemed satisfied with the outcome, if the tiniest relax in posture was anything to go by.

"_Good_, _Report to the Conn in half an hour with your findings. Batman out"_

There was a small blip as the hologram turned off, and Miss Martian turned back to Martin and Superboy with her arms folded and her brow raised dangerously high.

"Well, you heard him. Get ready."

* * *

><p><strong>Wayne Manor (Gotham), June 12 2011, 20:04 EDT<strong>

"Jason? Jason are you in there?"

There was silence as Christine poked her head around a tall ornate dark wooden door.

Behind it was a large bedroom, with a four poster bed, a TV in front of a small lounge on which a ten year old boy was sitting.

Her heart twinged as she saw that though his eyes were glued to the screen before him. However they were very distant and misty, even as he fiddled absentmindedly with his toes.

He didn't even look up as she softly called to him.

"Can I come in?"

Jason nodded silently, not taking his eyes of the TV, on which a children's cartoon show was playing.

Christine bit her lip as she quietly made to walk over to the couch. When he made no indication of objecting to her presence she timidly sat down beside him.

"Dinner's going to be ready soon. What are you watching?" she asked quietly.

"TV" Jason replied blankly, his eyes just staring unblinkingly at the screen, seeing but not seeing of the show's contents.

There was silence as Christine looked him over. At such a close distance she could see the puffy bags beneath those cerulean blue eyes. No…not completely blue, she noticed as she looked a little harder. There were small rings of green in their centre just around the pupil. Oddly enough, the colour reminded her of the sea.

"Central heterochromia" she muttered aloud to herself.

"huh?" Jason blinked and for the first time since she arrived he turned to look at her. His face was a mask of confusion.

Christine gave him a small smile.

"Heterochromia. It means you have two colours in your eyes. It's a rather rare genetic mutation" She pointed to his eyes.

"Mutation? Great so I'm a freak too" Jason glowered turning away from her.

Christine sighed.

"I never said that. Heterochromia is just the result of a relative excess or lack of melanin, aka the chemical colour pigments, in your body. Therefore you are not a freak. And before you say anything else, you are also not a street rat, or just another kid that needs serious help or dirty brat out of the gutter."

"Oh yeah?" Jason spat bitterly though he was keeping a careful watch of her from the corner of his eye. "Then what am I?"

"You are just d_ifferent... _And there is nothing wrong with that._"_

In spite of himself Jason blushed a little as her pair of brown eyes looked straight at him. Her stare was not harsh, or stern but kind and warm.

It made his insides churn uncomfortably as images of another pair of eyes flashed over his head. Eyes just like his but with a strangely blurred feminine face. Quickly he turned his head down to look at his pulled up knees, mumbling under his breath.

"Stop it"

"Stop what?"

"Stop, looking at me like that" Jason grumbled into his jeans and when she looked even further confused he added "As if you care anything about me"

Christine blinked.

"But I do care about you" she quirked a brow.

"No you don't." he mumbled and Christine was astonished to hear his voice waver ever so slightly. "You care for Dick and for your sister and the old butler guy and Bruce. And they care about you a lot. But I only have…**had** my dad. He cared…he wasn't great at keeping his job but he did his best…after his next job he said we were going to get out of Gotham for good…just him and me! He did care…but now he's…he's…"

And with that Jason buried his face into his knees even more, his shoulders shaking as sobs wracked through him.

Christine's gaze softened as she reached out to put her hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"Hey…hey…shh…it's ok" She cooed gently rubbing his back.

Jason just continued to cry, however he did not object to her touch even as she leaned to completely wrap her full arm over his shoulders.

Christine shut her eyes as she rested her chin on top shoulder as she began to rock them back and forth gently, softly singing a tune under her breath.

_Father cannot guide you._

_Now you're on your own._

_Only me beside you._

_Still, you're not alone._

_No one is alone. Truly._

_No one is alone._

She paused to quietly hush the boy she held before starting the next verse.

_Sometimes people leave you.  
>Halfway through the world.<br>Others may deceive you.  
>You decide what's good.<br>You decide alone.  
>But no one is alone.<em>

"I just want him-" Jason blubbered, into her shirt.

"I know" Christine stroked his back before starting to sing again.

Her voice wasn't great (as proven since the song was being sung fairly out of tune) but at that moment in time she did not really care less what anyone thought of her voice. All she could focus on was the kid she was holding onto tightly.

_Father isn't here now._

_Who knows what he'd say?_

_Nothing's quite so clear now._

_You feel you've lost your way._

_You decide but you are not alone._

_Believe me_

_No one is alone._

_People make mistakes._

_Fathers, mothers_

_People makes mistakes._

_Holding to their own._

_Thinking they're alone_

_Honour their mistakes,_

_Everybody makes,_

_Fight for their mistakes,_

_One another's terrible mistakes._

_People can be right, people can be good_

_You decide what's right,_

_You decide what's good._

_Just remember…_

She pulled Jason away a little to look him in the teary eyes, and the boy was surprised to see the older girl's brown eyes also quite wet and bright.

_Someone is on your side,_

**_Our_**_ side…_

_Someone else is not._

_While we're seeing __**our**__ side,_

_Maybe we forgot._

_They are not alone_

_No one is alone_

_It's hard to see the light now_

_Just don't let it go_

_Things will come all right now_

_We can make it so._

_Someone is on your side…_

Christine gulped down the lump in her throat as her own tears streamed down her face. Gently she gripped Jason's arms a little tighter and made him look into her eyes as she sang, the last word coming out as a waver.

_…no one is alone._

As the last note faded into silence Jason shut his eyes as the older girl leaned forwards and pressed her lips against his forehead gently, before pulling him into her arms.

He leaned into her embrace, savouring the strange but pleasant mixture of warmth and cold that radiated from her body. Indeed he was quite quick to latch onto her purple hoody and bury his face into it as the door to his bedroom opened again, almost as if he was afraid that someone would come and take him away.

But it was only little Nessa.

The four year old was blinking sleepily, still decked out in her little pink and white night dress and thick woollen socks.

She yawned wide as she toddled over to her older sister, who, ignoring the slight pain and discomfort in her shoulder, extracted an arm from the crying boy and scooped her up into her lap

"Hi sweetie. Did I disturb your nap?" Christine couldn't help but smile as her little sister shook her head as she said:

"What wrong Jay-Jay?" she pointed to Jason, who was trying to hide his streaming face in Christine's shoulder.

"Nessa, Jason's sad because someone he cares about a lot has gone to heaven"

"Like Grandpa and Papa?" Nessa tilted her head, not noticing the look of anguish that passed over her sisters face.

However Christine was quick to cover it up as she nodded.

"Yes…like Grandpa and Papa"

"Oh…" Nessa nodded her brown eyes, so much like her sisters now wide and innocent as she looked up at Jason. Then without warning-

"Whoa!" Jason cried out in alarm as the little girl launched herself at him "What the-hey-"

"Jay-Jay no cry no more! Nessa no like Jay-Jay sad. If Jay-Jay sad, I sad too" Nessa declared loudly and Christine winced at the volume. She was quite sure the sound could be heard from the next continent away.

"Jay-Jay have Sissy and Richie and Bruce and Alfie and ME! Jay-Jay will be happy!"

"I…I…uh…" Jason mumbled half in shock and half in awkwardness as he clumsily patted the little girl on the back. "Thanks…Nessa… that means a lot…"

Christine couldn't help but giggle as Nessa gave Jason a big fat kiss on both his cheeks, which both promptly turned bright red.

* * *

><p><strong>Bat Cave (Gotham), June 12 2011, 20:13 EDT<strong>

Dick Grayson was not someone that did well with sharing his things, or at least those things he deemed precious to him which were few and held very close to his heart.

So when he watched his girlfriend hug the newest resident of the Wayne household on the screens of the Bat-Computer he could not help but bristle uncomfortably.

_No…this is wrong_

He chastised himself quickly with a soft growl. After all the poor kid just lost his only family to Harvey Two-Face. If ever there was a time he needed comfort it was now.

But even so did it have to be from Christine?

"I see Jason seems to be settling in" a dark gravelly voice growled from behind him in the shadows.

Dick nodded without so much as batting an eye.

Years of working with the Dark Knight and you get used to his mysterious appearances.

And so it was with a calm huff that the young teenage boy made to say:

"Yeah…yeah he is…"

He couldn't see his mentor, but knew from his next sentence that he was faintly amused.

"He is only nine years old. Hardly her type"

"I know that too" Dick shifted uncomfortably on his feet as Batman stood to his side, cowl down so that he face of Bruce Wayne was revealed, scowling up at a screen to his left where a map of Europe was showing brightly.

"I just got a report from Red Arrow, Green Arrow and Martian Manhunter in France. They've found the co-ordinates I've given them"

"The co-ordinates to where?" Dick frowned up at his mentor whose blue eyes narrowed slightly.

"The facility in which I first found Christine"

"But it's been fourteen years" Dick's lighter blue eyes narrowed up at the European map "You think it'll still be functioning?"

"I don't know" Bruce admitted grimly. "but hopefully it provides some answers as to what's going on now."

Dick chewed his lip as he glanced back to the Bat Computer's main screen where Christine was now patting Nessa on the back as she fell asleep on her lap, along with Jason who was leaning into her sides on the couch.

It was such a tender scene that even the boy wonder's earlier irritation with the younger boy melted ever so slightly.

"Bruce…" Dick murmured softly his eyes fixed on the gentle fond but also sad expression on his girlfriend's face as she held the two kids closer to her. "Why didn't you tell her the truth? About what she was?"

Bruce followed his protégé's eyes and sighed heavily.

"Stuart and I were going to tell her when she was younger…but…"

"But?" Dick pressed.

"But we both decided not to… for her sake. And it was not for the reason you think" Bruce narrowed his eyes as Dick made to roll his "Though she's never told me or anyone else I believe Christine has always known she wasn't really like other people…that she was different. Even from a very young age she was always very self-aware of what she was and often it used to make her distant, even with Stuart and I sometimes, though she usually hid it well. If we were to tell her that she was not truly human…"

"She would feel truly alone?" Dick finished and Bruce nodded solemnly.

"It wasn't an easy decision. Keeping it a secret from her. There were so many times I wanted to tell her the truth. The worst was when you and the others first found Superboy at Project Cadmus, for it confirmed my suspicions regarding the reasons behind her birth."

"If that's the case then…" Dick's brow furrowed even more as he looked up once more at his mentor "Is that why she's so close to Conner and the Clone Roy? Because they are all Cadmus Genomorphs?"

"Yes. It seems that way. Ever since my return from Red Queen's imprisonment I have been pouring through all the notes and research we have gathered on all three of them. From what I have been able to see of the findings, it looks like there are certain genetic strands in the genomorphs that allow them to recognise and sense a fellow of their own species whether they be humanoid or otherwise. Not only that but there are also certain traits that the genetic engineers programmed into the subjects to make them more dominant or submissive, depending on their role in the pack"

"Pack?" Dick spluttered "What you mean like a wolf pack with an alpha male and alpha female?"

"In a way yes" Bruce nodded his own gaze hardening "but unlike wolves' most genomorphs have advanced senses of selves and more unique abilities that are all as equally dangerous as each other's. If the notes of Dr Desmond are anything to go by I believe that this particular pack system was not so much a social construct but rather a sophisticated hierarchical ranking system like that of an army. An army in which Conner and Christine both rank very highly. Both display the traits of alpha's, both are strong with unique abilities and both are smart enough to have individuality and both prefer to give orders rather than follow them"

"But Conner listens to Christine" Dick folded his arms "Both on the field and off of it"

"Because she is the stronger alpha. Not to mention she is older, and has shown him much affection and care. With all these traits combined I wouldn't be surprised if in his subconscious Superboy sees her as a surrogate mother figure"

"And what about Roy is he an alpha like them?" Dick raised his eyebrows to Bruce who sighed a little.

"I had thought so before but no. Unlike Christine and Conner, Red Arrow was cloned from the original source and had his memories reprogrammed into his mind so that he thought he was independent. However after careful analysis of his genetic code, the league and I have found traces of the genes found in beta genomorphs."

"Makes sense" Dick nodded "he was a spy, they needed him to be able to be more submissive so he could listen to orders"

"Which is why he was more susceptible to the Cadmus programmed trigger words than Conner...and why he was and carry out missions without question" Bruce finished.

"Except for capturing Christine at New Years…" Dick eyed his mentor hard "if what you say is true than he should've tried to capture her and bring her to Vandal Savage like the rest of the league, bio-chip or no. But he didn't"

"No he didn't" Batman agreed quietly "but maybe that wasn't his doing either."

Dark blue eyes caught lighter blue eyes as they widened considerably.

"You mean…he was protecting her because…" Dick spluttered and Batman nodded again.

"Because she was his alpha. Like I said before Desmond programmed his Beta genomorphs and serve their alphas. And like how the genomorphs were made to patrol and protect Superboy when he was being made, who's to say they weren't programmed to protect any other higher powered alpha of their own kind as well."

"But Savage ordered him to-" Dick began to say only for the dark knight to cut across him.

"Savage is not a Genomorph. And Desmonds' research all shows that Genomorphs respond stronger to their own kind than to humans no matter what shape or form they take. Besides the Clone Roy has known Christine far longer than he has known Savage or his handlers. If my theory about the alpha system is correct then Christine has had far more time and opportunity to imprint her influence on Roy, which is fortunate for us as it can save him and even Superboy from being used as weapons for the Light once more"

There was a silence as both Bat and Bird stared at the screen where Christine was still sitting, with Jason and Nessa both draped over her fast asleep.

She sighed softly to herself as she reached up to her ear and at once the Batcave was filled with the soft whisper of her voice.

"Dick, you still in?"

"We're both in" Bruce answered before the boy wonder could even open his mouth.

He watched as on the screen his daughter gave a small snort and a sigh to herself.

"of course you are. But whatever…listen could one of you do me a favour and bring up my Papa's Journal. It's right next to the bat-computer."

"Don't worry I got it!" Dick responded picking up the leather bound journal, Bruce watching him closely as he asked.

"Is there something wrong Chris?"

"No, I just wanted to have a look. I'd get it myself but as you can see-" she mumbled yawning widely as she gestured to the two sleeping kids still draped on her.

"I'll tell Alfred to wait for a bit before serving dinner." Bruce's blue eyes softened slightly at the sight "But still make sure Jason comes down. A little company might do him good tonight."

_It's already working wonders_

The dark knight couldn't help but smirk as he watched said boy snuggle a little more into Christine's hold, much to Dick's annoyance.

* * *

><p><strong>British Museum, June 12 2011, 23:04 GMT<strong>

"Pawn A-2, Pawn B-7, Pawn F-2 , this is Knight G-7. Report your status?"

"_Pawn A-2 here,_ _the justice brats are in position and so are our targets Knight G-7._"

_"Pawn F-2 good to go. Targets in sight"_

_"Pawn B-7 the same"_

"Good. Pawn B-7 you're up first. Com as soon as you have your target. Then A-2, F-2, it's your go in that order. Knight G-7 out."

_Miss Martian what is your status?_

_Everything is fine Aqualad._

Miss Martian replied calmly over the mental link as she Superboy and Martin all crept around a large corridor, lined with sculptures and artefacts in glass boxes.

"What section are we in again?" the Martian girl hissed.

"The Ancient Greece/roman one I think. Yeah see that's Apollo" Superboy pointed to a large mosaic of a great warrior upon a chariot led by swans, pulling the sun through a burning bright sky over a field.

"Christine I-I mean Swift would've loved this" Martin whistled under his breath as the super clone rolled his eyes and muttered darkly

"yeah but thanks to you she's missing out"

"Hey I didn't-"

"Boys" Miss Martian frowned back at both of them. It wasn't as good as Swift's or Artemis's usual scathing scowls, but it was good enough to shut them both up.

At least until she turned back to look ahead as they turned a corner. They had arrived in a wide space, filled with many different ornaments and artefacts.

Many of them were statues, life sized and humanoid in shape. Some of them were examples of ancient pottery in various stages of decay and aging.

It was the biggest of these that Miss Martian was looking at.

It was a large urn, about the size of an orchestra's timpani drum and it was pitch black. On it painted in red was a strange swirling pattern of flames that from this angle looked rather like the shape of a dogs snarling face.

The sight of it was enough to send shivers down all three of their spines even as Superboy reported through the mental link:

_Target found and is safe. What do we do now?_

_Wait for my instructions. Squad alpha and beta still haven't reached the targets. _Aqualad replied calmly.

_If you see anything suspicious report at once._

_W-wait what do you mean suspicious?_

Martin gulped looking between the two team veterans with fear.

Eventually it was Miss Martian that spoke (mentally) a patient smile on her face.

_Yesterday Batman received a tip off that three artefacts in this museum were to be targeted by unknown thieves to be stolen and replaced by replica's to be sold on the black market for millions. Our job is to place trackers in the original's that get stolen and see who comes and takes them._

_But why not just make our own fakes with trackers and have the bad guys take those instead? _Martin frowned

_Because the bad guys will be able to spot a fake from a mile off. _ Superboy snorted.

_Also Batman only received the tip off last night. there wasn't nearly enough time to make perfect replicas of all three artefacts._

_Right…So basically we're just going to let a bunch of unknown baddies just steal priceless stuff from a museum while we sit around on our asses and twiddle our thumbs!_

Martin folded his arms grumpily only for Superboy to scowl.

_We're not sitting and twiddling! We're watching and waiting! It's part of the job! So if I were you I'd get used to it._

Martin opened his mouth to speak, but then quickly shut it, his expression so dark and angry that his white head of hair had begun to smoke a little.

_Woah keep it together hothead! I can feel the heat even in my brain!_

Kid Flash's voice complained on his end of the link as did many of the others, but Martin did not really care.

First Christine and Dick did not trust him nor his brother about their secret lives as heroes. Then he and said brother got dragged into the whole mess without any say so whatsoever and had to live their lives hiding out in a cave far away from home with a bunch of strangers, one of which was a grumpy super clone with a grudge against him and was currently doing everything in his power to make him feel pissed off. Could anyone blame him for being peeved off at the moment?

He was so consumed in his fuming temper that he didn't even get awed by Miss Martian's camouflaging technique as she made to approach the urn from a distance.

_Careful…_

She bit her lip as she managed to carefully duck around the many security measures set in place around the artefact.

When she reached the Urn she paused, gulping nervously.

_What is it? What's wrong?_

Both Superboy and Martin frowned to one another. Though he could not see her there, they could still feel her nerves which only heightened as she seemed to get closer to the urn.

_This thing…it's so warm…like it's got something inside of it…_

She held her breath as she reached forwards to touch it, her eyes darting over the label that was stuck above it.

_The Heart of the Necromanteion. _

But even as her fingers grazed the lid, Martin gasped.

He wasn't sure how, but he could almost see something bright glowing within the dark clay, something that looked phenomenally like -

_NO STOP!_

He yelled as he rushed forwards.

But too late.

Miss Martian had pulled the lid of the urn up.

At once a great big burst of fire blasted out into the air above. The force of it was such that at once all the alarms in the building were set off, including the sprinkler system.

"M'GANN!" Superboy yelled rushing forwards as his girlfriend fell backwards onto the floor. "M'gann are you alright? M'gann…oh no…"

Superboy's eyes widened in horror as he saw that the martian girl's face was blank, her eyes shut even as she lay limp in his hold. He could still hear her heartbeat and her breath, but it couldn't be plainer that she was out for the count.

But that wasn't the worst of it…

"Um…Superboy…" Martin gulped and Superboy turned round his eyes widening in horror.

The flames that had burst from the urn were now burning over the stone tiled floor as if it were tall dry grass. Worse still, they were not being affected at all by the harsh spray of the sprinklers above.

Indeed the water seemed to only fuel it even more.

"What the-?" Superboy breathed as he tugged both Martin and Miss Martian away from the flames which were swirling strangely before them.

It was as if the blazing fire was not fire at all, but a bright orange and yet shadowy fluid twisting and writhing…changing shape from a column and into something huge…something with four legs…a tail…

"Uh Supes…What the hell is that?" Martin gulped only to shut his mouth as a deep gutteral sound filled the room.

"I don't know…but I think its not going to sit if I tell it to" Superboy growled as the creature made to snarl…hackles raising on each of its three canine heads.

* * *

><p>MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!<p>

i'm back!

phew! sorry its been so long since an update but life happened and inspiration struck me for new fics. i only just got back into the swing of my young justice stuff after starting to play "_Batman: Arkham Knight" (_Which by the way is so AWSOME!)

so yeah Jason's not feeling too happy (poor guy). the song Christine sings (badly i might add. unlike other OC's music is not her forte at all!) is from the musical "_Into The Woods"_ the movie ofwhich i just bought on DVD. I am such a sucker for musicals and i loved it so much when i saw it in cinemas and got hooked by the story and the songs so i went and bought the musical's soundtrack as well as the movie soundtrack on itunes. i had been wanting to put this song in one of my fics for a while and now i finally got the chance so i hope that's ok.

the bit about the genomorphs alpha/beta system is all my own jim-crack. but even so i hope that it made sense and help explained a lot of things. besides...it's important later on *wink wink*

either ways hope to see you guys all soon and hope you all enjoyed.

Keep R&Ring


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